Kenny Cress / Sports Writer | Posted: Saturday, May 1, 2004 12:00 am
What shaped up early Friday as a rocky outing for St. Joseph sophomore pitcher Sheldon Lechuga turned into an impressive one.
Lechuga gave up three hits over the first two innings. The left-hander allowed two the rest of the way, and St. Joseph beat Cabrillo 6-4 at Dave Brunell Field in an important Los Padres League.
All LPL baseball games are important these days. Friday/s results left Lompoc at 5-2-1 in LPL games; St. Joseph at 5-3; Cabrillo and Santa Maria at 5-4; Nipomo at 4-4-1; Morro Bay at 3-6; and idle Santa Ynez at 2-6.
Friday, Lompoc defeated Nipomo 9-1 at Nipomo, and Morro Bay downed Santa Maria 13-10 at Elks Field.
Each team plays 12 league games. St. Joseph is 8-13 overall. Cabrillo is 14-9.
The Knights swept the two-game season series from the Conquistadores.
"Our team is ready for important games," Knights catcher Josh Meagher said. "We work hard in practice. We don/t worry about them."
Meagher was ready in his big moment at bat Friday.
St. Joseph led 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Meagher hit Cabrillo relief pitcher Jason Hansen/s 1-2 pitch into center field for a two-run single.
Meagher said, "Bases loaded, two outs. If they want to come after me …"
Hansen/s pitch "was a little up," Meagher said.
"Give Meagher credit 7 he hit a pitch out of the strike zone," said Cabrillo coach Jon Osborne. "He/s the one they wanted up there in that situation."
Meanwhile after the first two innings, Lechuga shackled Cabrillo except for the fifth. Chris White/s solo home run pulled the Conquistadores within 6-4, and then Britton Butterfield whacked a pitch into the left centerfield gap.
Butterfield tried to stretch his hit into a triple, but he was out easily on a good relay throw from shortstop Scott Domingues to third baseman Kevin Buchanan.
Cabrillo/s hitters were crowding the plate and swinging aggressively the first two innings. "I tried to move my pitches around, back them off from the plate a little bit," Lechuga said. "It worked."
"He pitched tougher in the middle innings after we banged him around a little bit," Osborne said. "(The Knights) played well. But we have a good team. We/ll be contending for the league championship."
Uncharacteristically lax St. Joseph defense gave the Conquistadores two unearned runs as Cabrillo led 3-1 going into the bottom of the second inning.
Back-to-back doubles by Matt Hansen and Chris White gave the Conquistadores two first-inning runs. Leadoff hitter Isaac Simmons reached first base when his hard one-hopper went off shortstop Scott Domingues/ glove for an error.
In the second inning, with runners on first and second base, Meagher unleashed a throw toward second base as the Conquistadores were attempting a double steal. Trouble was, no one was covering second.
The throw went into center field and Chris Smith, who had stolen third base, scored on the play.
Meagher turned toward the Knights dugout and spread his arms with an exasperated expression. St. Joseph/s defense steadied after that.
"Our defense has always been good," said Knights coach Bobby Fystro. When his players make errors, "We don/t panic about it."
The Conquistadores/ defense slipped itself in the third inning, allowing the Knights to score twice for a 4-3 lead.
On the second error, Brian McConkey/s hard-hit ground ball that looked like an inning-ending double play went off second baseman Brian Stieber/s glove and into right field. Domingues and Luke Ferrari scored.
After Butterfield was thrown out, Lechuga did not allow another hit.
"He was moving the ball around really well today," Meagher said.
Lechuga is "definitely the one we/ll go to the rest of the way if things get tight," Fystro said.
In LPL baseball, things are likely to stay tight.
Righetti 9, AG 4
ARROYO GRANDE 7 Jimmy Dodos got served up the pitch he was looking for.
The Righetti junior got a hold of reliever Erik Morrison/s pitch and cracked it over the right field fence to score a three-run home run and lift the Warriors to a 7-3 lead over the Eagles at P.O.V.E. Field.
Righetti added two insurance runs in the seventh inning and beat the Eagles in a PAC-5 League game.
"He had a hard time adjusting to Josh Gutierrez with all the change-ups," Righetti coach Eric Albright said of Dodos/ 0-for-3 start before hitting the homer. "Then Morrison came in with a little more velocity. That/s more to his style and he got a hold of it. He/s a fighter up there."
With the win Righetti improves to 8-4 in the PAC-5 and 16-8 overall. The Eagles fall two games back at 6-6, 15-9. The Warriors are in first place, a game ahead of Atascadero which lost 20-10 to San Luis Obispo Friday.
Josh Thomas, who has a scholarship to play for San Jose State next year, earned the win from the mound with eight strikeouts in a complete game. He also scored the go ahead run for a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning when he slid underneath Gilbert Buenrostro/s tag at home plate on David Lohman/s single.
"Josh has been our big guy on the mound all year," said Albright. "That puts him to 7-0 on the year. He does it all. He/s hitting three-hole, he pitches, he catches. That/s why he/s got a Division I scholarship."
Softball
SM 3, Morro Bay 0
Serinna Uvalle hurled a complete game three-hitter as the Saints (5-4 LPL) won a league game at home.
Uvalle struck out six and walked no one. Stacey Davis backed her by going 2-for-3 and hitting a two-run single in the second inning. Sophia Beltran whacked a solo home run in the fourth.
SJ 4, Cabrillo 2
At Hagerman Park, the Knights (6-2, 10-10-1) handed the Conquistadores (8-1, 15-5-1) their first league loss.
Jessica Perez hit an inside-the-park three-run home run in the first for one of her two hits. Marissa Martinez scattered six hits to earn a complete game win.
Natalia Martin tripled for Cabrillo.
Lompoc 10, Nipomo 2
NIPOMO 7 The Braves (7-1, 13-3-1) broke this one open with six runs in the second inning.
Lompoc pitcher Ashley McDonough struck out nine and walked no one in a three-hit complete game. Jen Brooks hit a solo home run in the sixth for Lompoc.
Righetti 5, AG 0
Jenna Maiden pitched a one-hitter as the Warriors (7-2, 18-5) defeated the Eagles (1-8 PAC-5 League) in a PAC-5 game at Righetti.
Maiden helped herself by rapping three hits, including a double. She scored twice. Antoinette Hernandez hit a two-run double in Righetti/s three-run second inning.
Katie Novo also doubled for the Warriors. Righetti third baseman Natalie Estorga made three putouts and had five assists.
Righetti plays Rosary of Pasadena Poly at 2:45 p.m. today in the first round of the Thousand Oaks Tournament. Rosary is ranked fifth in Division I.
VCA 18, Coastal Christian 0
ARROYO GRANDE 7 The Lions improved to 11-0, 14-5 by winning this Coast Valley League game in a rout that was called after five innings because of the run rule.
Christine Regalado pitched a one-hitter, and her sister Cynthia Regalado backed her by getting two hits, including a triple. Lara Hertzog and Serina Gomez had two hits each for the Lions. Hertzog and teammate Maranita Paniagua doubled.
College Tennis
So Cal Ind. Regional
FULLERTON 7 Two Hancock College singles players and two Hancock doubles teams are one win away from the Women/s Individual State Tournament.
Bulldogs singles players Lori Valadez and Monica Krier, along with Hancock doubles tandems Valadez and Carlene Holst, and Krier and Clairol Lozano all won their matches at the Southern California Regional Individual Tournament at Cal State Fullerton Friday.
All received first-round byes.
Valadez defeated Aki Fuji of Long Beach City College 6-2, 6-0. Krier rallied to a 2-6, 6-3, 14-12 win against Ashley Vachirajonekol of Cerritos. The third set was a 10-point tiebreaker.
Valadez and Holst blanked a San Diego City College team 6-0, 6-0. Krier and Lozano beat a Long Beach tandem 6-2, 7-5.
Valadez and Krier play their singles matches at 9 a.m. today. The Bulldogs/ doubles pairs play today at 2 p.m.
Carly Barnett and Amanda Urias lost 6-4, 1-6, 10-4 to a Fullerton City College tandem in the first round. In the men/s individual regional at Long Beach State, Tristan Anders of Victor Valley defeated Davis Best of Hancock 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 in the first round.
The Individual State Tournament takes place at Palm Desert next Friday and Saturday. Hancock plays at defending state champion Grossmont at 2 p.m. next Tuesday for the Southern California Regional Dual Team Tournament women/s title.
May 1, 2004