Turlock, Pitman, Buhach Colony alive for CCC baseball title

With two weeks left in the Central California Conference baseball season, Turlock High School is cruising with a 9-0 league record.

But Bulldogs coach Mark de la Motte has been around long enough to know pennants are won in May, not April.

“We’ve got to keep improving,” said de la Motte, whose club visits crosstown rival Pitman on Tuesday at 4 p.m. “Our guys are pretty focused on just the next game.

“We’re pretty pleased with the approach they’re taking … not getting too high or too low. We’ve got some mature returners who have helped settle us down.”

Outfielder Jon Temple (.444, 31 RBIs in 21 games), catcher Brandon Booz (.377) and first baseman Tate Soderstrom (.453) have been steady forces on offense, while Blaine Weber, Landon Curtis and Damon Treadwell have pitched solidly.

Webber is 6-1 with a 1.11 ERA, 35 strikeouts and only five walks in 44 innings. Curtis is 3-2 with a 1.65 ERA, and Treadwell is 4-1 with 44 strikeouts in only 33 innings.

The Bulldogs, who were 4-8 during a tough preseason schedule, have six CCC games remaining: three against third-place Pitman (5-4) and threeagainst second-place Buhach Colony (7-2).

The Thunder has three games against Atwater (0-9) before facing Turlock. Pitman closes with a set against Golden Valley (3-6).

The Bulldogs’ magic number to clinch the league’s No. 1 playoff seed is five.

Buhach Colony, though, still controls its fate, too. If the Thunder wins out, it will be the league champion. The Thunder could even go 5-1, providing it sweeps Turlock, and still secure its first CCC crown since 2012.

“It’s good to be in this position,” said Buhach Colony coach Greg Wakefield, who led the Thunder to Sac-Joaquin Section Division III titles in 2004 and 2005. “We haven’t been here in a while. It’s nice to have games down the stretch that are meaningful.

“There are three playoff spots available, and almost everybody is still mathematically in it.”

Merced and Golden Valley, both 3-6, are alive for a postseason bid. But only Turlock, Buhach Colony and Pitman can grab the top seed.

Pitman, however, needs help. A scenario exists where the Pride could win the title by going 5-1 down the stretch, but it involves Atwater sweeping Buhach Colony, which is unlikely.

The easiest path to the No. 1 seed for Pitman is to sweep out, then hope for Atwater to take a game from Buhach Colony and have Turlock lose once, and only once, in its three-game finale with the Thunder.

“You never know what happens with these rivalry games,” said Pitman coach John Acha, who guided the Pride to the CCC title last season. “We’re still optimistic.”

This story was originally published April 25, 2016 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Turlock, Pitman, Buhach Colony alive for CCC baseball title."