El Capitan baseball opens playoffs with impressive showing in win over Bear Creek
The El Capitan High School baseball team jumped out to a big lead early and cruised to an 8-1 victory over Bear Creek in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs Tuesday afternoon.
A five-run first inning helped starter Mitchell Hunter and his teammates shake off any playoff jitters.
Second-seeded El Capitan didn’t allow the No. 15 Bruins to settle in, greeting Bear Creek starter Lukas Long with four hits in the first inning, including a two-run double by Jesse Salcedo.
“It took some of the stress away,” junior Juan Munoz said. “Last year we went out in the first round of the playoffs so getting a big lead early helped us relax.”
Munoz tacked on two more runs in the second inning when he hit a ball to right field that kept carrying in the wind before dropping over the right-field fence for a home run.
“I thought it was just a popup,” Munoz said. “But I like to think I have a little juice, with the wind blowing out, and the two things came together.”
Hunter pitched five scoreless innings as the El Capitan right-hander struck out eight and surrendered just one hit. However, his pitch count soared past 90 pitches as he battled through four walks and a number of long at-bats.
“Mitch fought himself today,” said El Capitan coach Aaron Ruiz, whose team improved to 18-3-1. “Although I still think he had a great performance, he had to fight through it today.”
Camden Peterson pitched the final two innings for the Gauchos, striking out five and giving up one unearned run on two hits.
Braylen Centeno helped spark the Gauchos offense, reaching base four times, stealing two bases and scoring three runs. Munoz and Jarrett Blake added two hits each.
The Gauchos will host No. 7 Granite Bay on Thursday in the second round. The Grizzlies defeated No. 10 Yuba City 8-1.
By earning the No. 2 seed, El Capitan has an opportunity to play a few more games at home in the postseason if it can make a deep run.
“It’s big for us to be at home,” Ruiz said. “We know our field, we know the wind here, we know where the sun sets. We practice here every day. It’s a big advantage for us.”
Other local playoff scores
Woodcreek 7, Golden Valley 2
Central Catholic 4, Los Banos 0
