Baciocco, Mayer help No. 1 Ripon overcome sloppy play vs. Hilmar

Ripon High School’s Jack Mayer tossed a one-hitter, freezing Hilmar’s Noah Batista to complete a 6-2 victory Tuesday afternoon.

Angelo Baciocco tripled and drove in two runs as the No. 1 small-school Indians scored their runs in bunches against the Yellowjackets, ranked third in The Bee’s latest poll.

More importantly, Ripon improved to 7-0 in the Trans-Valley League and 17-3 overall by overcoming an early deficit.

“We talk to the boys a lot about staying up for every game, staying focused for every game,” Ripon coach Jon Manrique said. “I think right now, they (Hilmar) evened out at 10-10 but they were 5-1 in the TVL and that’s all the matters. They were only one game behind. Winning one at home – taking care of business at home – was where our priority was.”

All’s well that ends well, right? Not so, Manrique says.

Ripon may be bearing down on a league title and top Sac-Joaquin Section playoff seed, but there’s still work to be done. The Indians committed six errors and allowed Hilmar (10-10, 5-2) to bring the tying run to the plate in the seventh inning.

Mayer created most of the drama by walking two and plunking another in the seventh before forcing in a run with a bases-loaded walk to Yellowjackets slugger Jarrod Willis.

He eventually escaped the jam with two strikeouts, but his ability to pitch deep into games is a key to Ripon’s postseason hopes. The junior is tied for second in the section with seven wins. He has a 2.66 ERA with three complete games.

Mayer’s latest was never in doubt, Manrique said, even as his arm tired and his location left him.

“We let him go out in the seventh,” Manrique said of Mayer, who struck out eight. “He was a little wild and you could see that he was tiring, not following through and throwing a little high. He pushed through in the end and deserved to finish it.”

Hilmar put Ripon on its heels early. Alex Chavez walked and eventually swiped home on an error by Ripon’s battery. Catcher Baciocco threw the ball back to Mayer following a pitch, but the ball lipped off Mayer’s glove and rolled toward second base. Chavez bolted home with the go-ahead run.

The lead wouldn’t last. Ripon struck for three runs in the third inning. Andrew Durrer belted a two-run single, and Baciocco atoned with an RBI triple.

“We’ve had to battle back at the end in some games, when we should be getting a head start,” Manrique said. “The bats need to start coming alive earlier instead of always having to battle back. I am happy with our perseverance, though.”

The Indians stretched their lead to 6-1 in the sixth on a double by Matthew DeDonatis and a single by Baciocco, the reigning TVL Offensive Player of the Year.

After mustering one hit in three games against Escalon and Galt, Baciocco is starting to heat up. He was 3 for 4 against Hilmar and has five hits in his last seven at-bats.

DeDonatis was 2 for 3 with two doubles, and Durrer and Mayer also collected two hits.

“One through nine, I feel like our team is strong. I feel like this might be the best-hitting team Ripon has had in some time,” Manrique said. “Some of the guys who struggled early in the year are starting to come through. I’m excited about that. If we clean up the defense, with our pitching and the way we hit, I think we’ll be all right.”

This story was originally published April 26, 2016 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Baciocco, Mayer help No. 1 Ripon overcome sloppy play vs. Hilmar."