Pitman takes another off Turlock, eyes CCC baseball sweep

Pitman High’s hopes of claiming the Central California Conference’s top seed for the Sac-Joaquin Section baseball playoffs remained alive with a 7-2 victory over crosstown rival Turlock on Thursday.

The Pride, now 7-4 in the CCC, handed the Bulldogs (9-2) a second consecutive league loss, which drops the Bulldogs into a tie for first with Buhach Colony.

Turlock and BC close the season with a three-game set next week.

Pitman entered the week needing to sweep the Bulldogs to have any shot at the top spot. By taking the first two, they’ve made Friday’s series finale important. But the Pride still needs winless Atwater (0-11) to upset the BC on Friday. Unless that happens, the best Pitman can do is the No. 2 seed.

More importantly, however, the Pride need to continue winning next week – it closes with three against Golden Valley (3-8) – to prevent Merced (5-6) from swooping in and grabbing the CCC’s third and final playoff spot.

“Every single game we have left is a big game,” said Pitman coach John Acha. “But we’ve put ourselves in a position where our fate is in our own hands to make the playoffs.”

Meanwhile, Turlock and Buhach Colony both control their destiny in regard to the No. 1 seed since either can say: Win out and we’re the CCC’s No. 1 team.

“When you’re the team that’s won the first two games in a series, you want to put your foot on them and get that third win,” said Turlock coach Mark de la Motte. “We’ve been in that position the last three series in a row, and we have to get back to playing like that.”

Bradley Enos picked up the victory for Pitman, allowing just three hits and walking two while striking out four in going the distance.

Turlock’s Landon Curtis was just as sharp, save for the third inning when he yielded six hits, walked two and hit a batter as the Pride scored seven runs. In the six other innings Curtis pitched, he allowed just two hits, walked none and struck out two.

Ben Lascano, Anthony Encalade (2 for 4) and Daniel Fareria (2 for 2) had RBI singles, and Nick Jones had a two-run double during Pitman’s surge.

Friday’s series finale will start at 4 p.m. at Pitman High.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 10:58 PM with the headline "Pitman takes another off Turlock, eyes CCC baseball sweep."