Gustine - The atmosphere at Gustine High School was electric on Thursday afternoon as the hometown Reds faced off against Stone Ridge Christian in a highly anticipated matchup for the Southern League Championship.
Adding to the stakes was Senior Night, honoring the dedicated players who have poured their hearts into the Gustine baseball program. Behind a strong pitching performance from senior #1 Jake Campbell and an offensive explosion, the Reds delivered a resounding 10-0 victory, securing the league title and momentum heading into the playoffs.
Campbell, the starting pitcher for the Reds, set the tone early in the top of the first inning. He came out firing, striking out the first two Stone Ridge Christian batters. An errant pitch on strike three allowed a Knights runner to reach first, but catcher #6 Mike Salsa swiftly erased the threat, gunning down the runner attempting to steal second.
The bottom of the first saw the Reds get their bats working, but they couldn't push a run across, stranding a runner at third. #2 Alex Quezada led off with a groundout to third, followed by Campbell flying out to right field. #6 Mike Salsa then ripped a deep shot to center field for a triple, putting a runner in scoring position. However,#3 Mike Saaranzin hit a deep fly ball to right field to end the inning, leaving #6 Mike Salsa stranded.
The top of the second proved a bit more challenging for Campbell. He hit a batter to lead off the inning, and a subsequent hit coupled with an error put runners on first and second for the Knights. Showing his resilience, Campbell battled back, striking out the next batter to end the inning unscathed.
In the bottom of the second, # 24 Lucas Malone ignited the Reds' offense with a leadoff single. He then showcased his speed on the base paths, stealing second and then third. #4 Avery Ethridge followed with a single of his own and promptly stole second, putting runners at second and third with no outs. #20 Blake Vaz stepped up to the plate and delivered a clutch two-run RBI single, giving the Reds a 2-0 lead. The Knights' defense tightened up, preventing any further damage in the inning.
Stone Ridge Christian struggled to generate any offense in the top of the third. Campbell continued to keep the Knights' hitters at bay. The Gustine defense then executed a sharp play to end the inning, with Campbell picking off a runner at second, and firing the ball to Saaranzin for the tag.
The bottom of the third saw the Reds extend their lead. Salsa led off by getting hit by a pitch. He then displayed aggressive base running, stealing second and third. A passed ball allowed him to scamper home, increasing Gustine's lead to 3-0. Saaranzin followed with a walk and proceeded to steal second and third, putting himself in scoring position. Malone hit a ground ball to third, but a fielding miscue on the throw to first allowed Saaranzin to score from third, making it 4-0. A pop-up ended the inning.
Gustine made a pitching change to start the top of the fourth, bringing in #2 Alex Quezada. The Reds' defense remained solid, with Quezada shutting down the Knights' offense. The inning concluded with a line drive to first baseman Campbell.
The bottom of the fourth proved to be the decisive blow for the Reds. #25 Ben Travao led off with a single, stole second, and advanced to third. Quezada then helped his own cause, driving in Travao with a shot to center field for a double. A sacrifice bunt moved Quezada to third. Salsa then delivered an RBI single, stole second, and advanced to third on a passed ball. #3 Mike Saaranzin was hit by a pitch, putting runners on the corners. The Gustine offense continued to pour it on, scoring six runs in the inning to reach the 10-run mercy rule threshold.
With Gustine leading 10-0 heading into the top of the fifth, Stone Ridge Christian needed a significant offensive surge to keep the game alive. However, Quezada shut down the Knights in order, retiring all three batters he faced.
The final out sparked jubilant celebrations on the field as the Gustine Reds clinched the Southern League Championship on their Senior Night with a dominant 10-0 victory. This marks the first time as league champions in 21 years of competition, according to the school. The team's strong pitching, timely hitting, and aggressive base running proved to be too much for Stone Ridge Christian.
“We figured out at the beginning of the year, this was our shot to win,” said Coach Craig Beevers. “This was probably going to be our best chance to take the league title. Our two main pitchers Jake and Alex came out and threw well every single day we had to play, you know along the road. We hit a couple bumps and had to overcome a lot to be able to get to where we are today. I’ll give it to them, they were really resilient in every situation. I thought we were going to lose and all of a sudden they come back and they fight and battle back and they just execute. They never quit. All year they never quit, and the seniors haven’t quit in four years. Expectations could be tough to meet and they met them. Hats off to them showing up every day and being able to be in this position. This is great to win a league title but it would be even better to win the section championship. So, that’s just one step, and now we got it all over and now we move onto the next one.”
