Cabrillo at Pioneer Valley is among the baseball doubleheaders set for this Saturday, with the opener slated for an 11 a.m. start. Cabrillo rides a 10-0, 2-0 mark going in. Pioneer Valley (5-2-1, 2-0) has been solid as well.
Cabrillo at Pioneer Valley is among the baseball doubleheaders set for this Saturday, with the opener slated for an 11 a.m. start. Cabrillo rides a 10-0, 2-0 mark going in. Pioneer Valley (5-2-1, 2-0) has been solid as well.
I wouldn't exactly call it a blessing in disguise. Still...
The Central California Athletic Association (CCAA) informed area high school baseball teams weeks ago that the schedule this year would include Saturday games because of a shortage of umpires. The shortage was exacerbated because of an unsettled dispute between the CCAA and the Los Padres Baseball Umpires Association (LPBUA).
In fact, Mountain and Ocean League games this year consist of Saturday doubleheaders. Turned out, there could have been a worse outcome.
Thanks to heavy rain, league openers would have been washed out had the leagues followed their customary schedules last week. Last Saturday, the weather cooperated and all the games got in.
Besides, with a Saturday league schedule, players miss less class time. I'm not exactly sure area schools will decide league games consisting of Saturday doubleheaders will be the wave of the future. Still, there are worse alternatives.
Cabrillo at Pioneer Valley is among the baseball doubleheaders set for this Saturday, with the opener slated for an 11 a.m. start. Cabrillo rides a 10-0, 2-0 mark going in. Pioneer Valley (5-2-1, 2-0) has been solid as well.
Spencer Gallimore has already pitched a no-hitter this year, and he leads Cabrillo in batting average at .464. Teammates Ray Hernandez (.419) and Landon Mabery (.414) are also over the .400 mark.
Thomas Kiesling has the top on-base percentage for the Conquistadores, a healthy .556. Mabery has a .541 OBP, and Gallimore is at .514.
Julian Diaz-Resendez is hitting .545 for Pioneer Valley. Diaz-Resendez and teammates Zach Saucedo and Chris Saucedo all have an OBP of over .450.
Gallimore and Gage Mattis are both 5-0 on the mound for Cabrillo. Mattis sports an ERA of 0.70, and Gallimore's is 1.25. Meanwhile, Pioneer Valley sophomore Andru Angulo's ERA is 2.00.
It should be interesting.
SHOHEI TIME
That was some pitch.
If "No one," is the answer, what is the question?
What is, "Who could have hit the last pitch of the World Baseball Classic?"
All of us who were watching the WBC championship game between Team USA and Team Japan were hoping for a Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout showdown, and we got it at the best possible time - with two outs in the bottom of the ninth in a one-run game.
Turned out the showdown between the Los Angeles Angels living legend on the mound, Ohtani for Team Japan, and the Los Angeles Angels living legend at the plate, Trout for Team USA, could not have been more of a mis-match.
It was clear from the start of the at-bat that Trout was not going to make contact with anything Ohtani threw. Sure enough, Trout flailed hopelessly for the third strike at a pitch that was at least as good in crunch time as any pitch I can ever remember seeing.
Strike two was a 100-mile-an-hour fastball down the middle. Strike three looked even more nasty to these iffy eyes on the replay than it did in real time, hard, low in the strike zone and tailing away from Trout to seal a 3-2 win and a third WBC championship for Japan.
Nipomo High School graduate Jeff McNeil did his job, setting the table for Team USA in the ninth with a leadoff walk. In the process, McNeil pulled off arguably the best take ever, laying off a ball four Ohtani offering that looked to be a fraction of an inch below the strike zone.
Ohtani proceeded to do a number on a career .293 hitter, Mookie Betts, and then Trout. Betts hit a meek grounder, taylor made for the 4-6-3 double play that resulted then Trout went down on a no-chance swing.
Game over. See ya, thanks for coming.
The Shohei Ohtani legend just keeps growing.
Photos: Cabrillo holds ceremony to honor Danny Duffy's donation that brought light to baseball field
The Cabrillo High School Conquistadores baseball team await to play under the lights for the first time Saturday against Santa Maria High during a double header home game.
Cabrillo High's Conquistadores baseball team play under the lights for the time Saturday evening against Santa Maria. The lights installation was funded by MLB star and Cabrillo Graduate Danny Duffy.
Dan Duffy, left, and Bob Lawrence, right, throw the first pitch Saturday under the new lights donated by Major League Baseball pitcher and Cabrillo graduate Danny Duffy.
Community members gather Saturday evening to celebrate the completion of the light installation at Cabrillo High's Don McIntyre baseball field. Cabrillo grad and MLB pitcher Danny Duffy donated up to $1.5 million to start and complete the project.
Former Cabrillo High School athletic director Robert “Bob” Lawrence, welcomes community members to the grand opening ceremony and completion of Donn McIntyre baseball field Saturday evening.
Dan Duffy, father of MLB star and Cabrillo alumni Danny Duffy speaks to community members at the grand opening ceremony and completion of Donn McIntyre baseball field Saturday evening.
In fall 2020, Duffy began working with Musco Lighting, district leaders, and Cabrillo High coaches and administrators to start planning a lighting project for the Donn McIntyre baseball field. A lack of lighting has meant that student-athletes could not practice or play games in the evening. Duffy committed to funding all of the project’s costs up to $1.5 million, and the district agreed to cover costs beyond the donation.
Kenny Cress is a sports reporter for the Santa Maria Times, covering local sports in northern Santa Barbara County. You can send information or story ideas to him by emailing it to kcress@santamariatimes.com
Kenny Cress, sportswriter for the Santa Maria Times since September of 2000.
BA in political science from Cal Poly Pomona.
BA in journalism from Cal State Northridge.
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