MODESTO — Gustine closed out its regular season with a commanding road win over Modesto Christian, powered by shutdown pitching and a string of timely extra‑base hits that set the tone from start to finish.

The Crusaders struck first, pushing across a run in the bottom of the first after a walk and a base hit. But the Reds’ starter locked in immediately, striking out the side to prevent further damage — and Modesto Christian wouldn’t score again.

Gustine broke through in the third. Sebastian Vargas reached on a passed ball, and Luke Avila followed with a walk to put two aboard. Alex Quezada delivered the swing that flipped the game, drilling a two‑run triple to give the Reds the lead.

From the second through the fourth inning, Gustine’s pitching staff was nearly unhittable, piling up six straight strikeouts and keeping Modesto Christian off balance. The defense took over in the fifth, highlighted by catcher Eddie Lomeli, who cut down runners at both third and first to erase the Crusaders’ only real threats of the afternoon.

The Reds added insurance in the sixth with a well‑executed rally. Avila opened the inning with a base hit, and Quezada followed with his second triple of the game to drive him in. Frank Silvera added an RBI single, then stole second before Danny Navarro moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt. Joao Palomino capped the inning with a run‑scoring double to extend the lead.

The final two innings belonged entirely to Gustine’s pitching. The Reds retired all six batters they faced — all on strikeouts — with Quezada striking out the final six hitters in order to seal the win.

After the game, Quezada said the performance felt like the culmination of his strongest stretch of the season.

“I feel it was my best series so far, a lot of great hits and just a complete game,” he said. “But as a team, we all worked together, and that really made the difference.”