Photos by Josh Thompson
Baseball:
Ayala didn’t just beat a very good and well-coached baseball team.
The Bulldogs put an 11-0 beatdown on visiting Maranatha in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs.
Of the 29 baseball programs this site covers, MHS has the second most wins.
Ayala led 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but they busted the game wide open with an eight-run fifth inning.
AHS out-hit MHS, 11-4, and they got another great outing from sophomore, Caleb Trugman.
Five days after going six innings and allowing one unearned run in a 6-1 victory at La Serna, the 6-foot-4 205-pound right-hander tossed a four-hit shutout.
Trugman issued three walks and fanned five Maranatha batters.
Zach Strickland tripled for MHS.
AJ Beltre, Thomas Lieb and Josh Proctor singled once each for the Minutemen.
Matthew Vazquez was charged with the loss after allowing two runs on five hits over 3 1/3 innings.
Vazquez walked two and struck out a pair of AHS batters.
The first four batters in the Ayala lineup went a combined 9-for-14 with five runs and five RBIs.
Elijah Duarte went 3-for-4 with one run and two RBIs.
Trugman helped his own cause.
He drew a pair of walks, singled, doubled, scored and had one RBI.
Aidan Erlandsen went 2-for-5, with a run and RBI.
Jaden Valenzuela singled twice, scored a pair of runs and drove in one.
Brody Gomez singled, doubled, scored and drove in a run.
Aiden Granados walked, scored and had three RBIs.
Eric Hernandez walked, scored twice and had one RBI.
Dylan Wood scored and had one RBI.
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Up next: Ayala will host Anaheim Canyon on Friday.
The Comanches (16-13-1) edged Quartz Hill, 5-4, in their second-round game.
Quotable:
Ayala coach, Brad McGuire: “We knew coming into it that Maranatha was a very good team with a loaded roster, and we had our work cut out for ourselves, but with Trug on the mound, we had a shot. We knew we would go as he went, and he did what he’s done all year. Zero doubt in my mind he’s one of, if not the best player in the area. He’s a special talent on both sides of the ball, and it’s been a pleasure to have a front row seat to it. We’re super young, but I’ve told the boys since the beginning of the year, the team we are at the start of the season won’t be who we are when playoffs come. Our young guys have enough at-bats and we’re not ‘young’ anymore. Our schedule we played this year prepared us for this game, the guys are meshing, and it’s been a fun ride!”
Ayala pitcher, Caleb Trugman:“Coming into the game, I knew they chased a lot. I wanted to get first-pitch strikes and hit the corners. We’ve been playing as a family lately and it feels good, because you can tell that we had each other’s back. When we scored eight runs in the fifth inning, I felt all the pressure go away, and I had a big smile on my face. My shortstop Eli Duarte had a big game (4-for-4) and he made two big plays behind me that changed the course of the game. I have a freshman catcher named Cody Brown and he tossed out two base runners. I feel confident with him behind the plate. I am just really proud of how we played together.”
Box Score:
M: 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-(0)
A: 1-0-1-0-8-1-X-(11)
Win: Caleb Trugman
Loss: Matthew Vazquez
3B: Zach Strickland (M)
2B: Caleb Trugman (A), Brody Gomez (A)
Records: Maranatha (22-7); Ayala (14-11-1)
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