Tracy Press

The Tracy and West sophomore baseball teams each played well Friday. Undefeated Tracy just played a little bit better.

Ricky Diaz eyes the batter during a stellar performance on the mound Friday for Tracy High. Diaz struck out 11 West batters in the victory. Glenn Moore/Tracy Press

In the end, he gave up five hits and struck out 11 West batters to secure the 6-2 win at the West High School field.

"I felt pretty good at the beginning and got stronger at the end," he said, though he admitted that the last inning was tough.

"I just tried to keep the ball down and let them hit it to my defense," he said.

While West managed to get on base in the last couple of innings, Tracy’s infielders kept them from getting past second.

West High coach Ben Lopez said his team had opportunities to score, but the difference between Friday’s game and previous wins for the Wolf Pack was in how the offense moved around the bases.

"All of the games that we won, we were pounding the ball, so we don’t have to sacrifice anyone over," he said.

The long balls were rare for West on Friday. Clyde Parilla drove in a run in the third on a double down the right-field line, and Jeff Koury drove in teammate Adam Crandall on a sacrifice fly to right field in the fifth.

Tracy third baseman Alex Flores takes the throw late as West High’s Mike Cavarias slides in safe. Glenn Moore/Tracy Press

But there was just as much frustration for the Wolf Pack — like in the fourth inning, when Jordan Devencenzi slammed a triple into deep right field, but Victor Jovel’s bunt to send him home became a short pop-up. Diaz scrambled off the mound to make the catch, and then fired the ball to third for a double play.

The top of Tracy’s batting order, Jake Rivera, Robbie Jackman, Diaz and Alex Flores, proved effective in getting on base and getting runners home. Rivera went 2-for-4 with a double in the seventh, and Flores was 2-for-4 with a two-run double in the third and another RBI in the seventh.

Jackman was 3-for-4, including a bunt in the seventh that moved Rivera to third base and stopped short enough on the third-base line that Jackman beat the throw to first. He tried to steal second but was thrown out by West catcher Devencenzi.

Tracy is now 12-0 for the season; West is 7-5.

(S) Franklin 3, West 0

The West High sophomore baseball team lost on the road Wednesday as the pitchers from Franklin High of Elk Grove kept the Wolf Pack batters off base.

"We just took swings at bad pitches," West assistant coach Kenny Serrano said, adding that the Pack endured 10 strikeouts. Two West players, Jeff Koury and Caleb Creasman, got big hits but couldn’t move around the bases for the score. Both went 2-for 3, and both hit doubles.

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