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It was cold, overcast and windy Monday afternoon at Bear River. It was not “baseball weather,” as some in the crowd said to one another. Somebody forgot to tell that to the Bruins.
With strong pitching, an outstanding offense and solid defense, the Bear River baseball team blew by River Valley 8-3 in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championships.
Coleman Huntley threw a complete game, the Bruins put together 13 hits, and the weather did not seem to bother them at all.
“Sometimes, it feels like the Arctic Circle out here,” said Huntley. “You have to pretend like you're really playing in May.”
He gave up two earned runs in seven innings despite walking five and allowing five hits.
River Valley put a runner on base in every inning, but the starter was able to pitch out of trouble more often than not and stranded eight Falcons on the basepaths.
“The strike zone was like a saucer out there,” said Huntley, who struck out seven in the game. “It feels good to have trust in your defense. You know if you miss, they'll pick you up.”
He also went 3 for 3 at the plate and drove in two runs.
Joining him with three hits, Zach Welz did a good job of setting the table at the top of the lineup for Bear River. Welz also walked once, reaching every time he stepped into the box and scoring two runs.
“I was just trying to hit line drives,” he said. “If you put the ball in play on this field, anything can happen.”
Welz, who started the game at shortstop, and the rest of the Bruins' infield, including Trevor McGee, James Harris, Jake Jarma and Michael Lucas, played a flawless game, committing no errors and staying with ball on a field that provided several tricky hops on the day.
Lucas came out of the game after running out an infield single in the bottom of the second inning.
He pulled a hamstring that has given him some trouble in the past, said coach Dahorl Ennis, who added that it is possible that Lucas will play in the team's next game.
Logan Mille came in the game to pinch run and scored on a two-run double by catcher David Karas.
Karas had two hits and four RBI in the game and just missed out on a third hit in the sixth inning when the Falcons' right fielder made a diving play on a fly ball into the gap.
McGee and Jeremy Pitts also added an RBI each for the Bruins, and Troy Runte went 1 for 2 with a run scored after coming in for the injured Lucas.
“Coleman was awesome tonight. Zach was awesome,” said Ennis. “But, it was a real team effort. Everyone looked good.”
The team will try to carry the momentum from this game into the second round of the playoffs, which starts for Bear River at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Sacramento City College against Benecia.
The Bruins will have to relax and try not to get too tight to get past the next round, said Huntley.
“We have to play our game and have fun playing baseball,” he said. “You can't win if you're not having fun.”
To contact Sports Writer Anthony Barstow, e-mail abarstow@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4232.
With strong pitching, an outstanding offense and solid defense, the Bear River baseball team blew by River Valley 8-3 in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championships.
Coleman Huntley threw a complete game, the Bruins put together 13 hits, and the weather did not seem to bother them at all.
“Sometimes, it feels like the Arctic Circle out here,” said Huntley. “You have to pretend like you're really playing in May.”
He gave up two earned runs in seven innings despite walking five and allowing five hits.
River Valley put a runner on base in every inning, but the starter was able to pitch out of trouble more often than not and stranded eight Falcons on the basepaths.
“The strike zone was like a saucer out there,” said Huntley, who struck out seven in the game. “It feels good to have trust in your defense. You know if you miss, they'll pick you up.”
He also went 3 for 3 at the plate and drove in two runs.
Joining him with three hits, Zach Welz did a good job of setting the table at the top of the lineup for Bear River. Welz also walked once, reaching every time he stepped into the box and scoring two runs.
“I was just trying to hit line drives,” he said. “If you put the ball in play on this field, anything can happen.”
Welz, who started the game at shortstop, and the rest of the Bruins' infield, including Trevor McGee, James Harris, Jake Jarma and Michael Lucas, played a flawless game, committing no errors and staying with ball on a field that provided several tricky hops on the day.
Lucas came out of the game after running out an infield single in the bottom of the second inning.
He pulled a hamstring that has given him some trouble in the past, said coach Dahorl Ennis, who added that it is possible that Lucas will play in the team's next game.
Logan Mille came in the game to pinch run and scored on a two-run double by catcher David Karas.
Karas had two hits and four RBI in the game and just missed out on a third hit in the sixth inning when the Falcons' right fielder made a diving play on a fly ball into the gap.
McGee and Jeremy Pitts also added an RBI each for the Bruins, and Troy Runte went 1 for 2 with a run scored after coming in for the injured Lucas.
“Coleman was awesome tonight. Zach was awesome,” said Ennis. “But, it was a real team effort. Everyone looked good.”
The team will try to carry the momentum from this game into the second round of the playoffs, which starts for Bear River at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Sacramento City College against Benecia.
The Bruins will have to relax and try not to get too tight to get past the next round, said Huntley.
“We have to play our game and have fun playing baseball,” he said. “You can't win if you're not having fun.”
To contact Sports Writer Anthony Barstow, e-mail abarstow@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4232.
