Baseball:
Two weeks after a 7-5 loss at Moorpark in the semifinal round of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs, Ayala bounced back in a big way.
The Bulldogs made the 81-mile drive to San Marcos in the first round of the CIF State D-2 So Cal Regional playoffs.
And Caleb Trugman went 6 2/3 scoreless innings in Ayala’s 3-0 road victory.
If winning a state playoff game wasn’t satisfying enough, the Bulldogs will get a second shot at Moorpark in Thursday’s D-2 So Cal Regional semifinal.
Back on May 14th, AHS actually led 5-0 in the fourth inning, but the Muskateers finished the game on a 7-0 run.
But let’s get back to Tuesday.
Trugman allowed three hits, walked three and fanned seven SMHS batters.
Sixty-four of Trugman’s 100 pitches were strikes.
The Ayala sophomore earned his third win in this 2024 postseason.
Isaac Huver got the final out to earn the save.
Max Farrell, JJ Moran and Isaac Esquer had one single each for the Knights.
Carter Tsai got the loss after allowing three unearned runs on two hits over six innings.
Tsai didn’t issue a walk and struck out three AHS batters.
Of Tsai’s 91 pitches, 60 went for strikes.
Ayala got each of its three runs in the top of the fifth inning.
With two outs, Aiden Granados reached base on an error by the San Marcos third baseman.
And Aidan Erlandsen made the Knights pay with a two-run home run to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
One batter later, Jaden Valenzuela hit a solo blast to give Trugman and Huver an insurance run.
Granados also singled in Tuesday’s win.
SMHS and AHS both had three hits apiece, but the Knights committed six errors as compared to one for Ayala.
Up next: The Bulldogs travel to Moorpark on Thursday at 4.
The Muskateers (20-11-1) shut out Bell, 6-0, in their first-round game.
Box Score:
A: 0-0-0-0-3-0-0-(3)
SM: 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-(0)
Win: Caleb Trugman
Loss: Carter Tsai
Save: Isaac Huver
HR: Aidan Erlandsen (A), Jaden Valenzuela (A)
Records: Ayala (16-12-1); San Marcos (18-15)
Division 2 Scores:
Liberty 14, Westlake 5
Poway 4, Arcadia 3
Moorpark 6, Bell 0
Ayala 3, San Marcos 0
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