Moorpark starter, Jake Eaton, pitched seven strong innings and won, 7-1, over Allan Hancock College in the last home game of the regular season at Raider Stadium, Saturday afternoon. Closer, Bryan Marberry pitched two perfect innings in relief.
“My arm felt good,” said Eaton, whose record is now, 3-3. “I got a little shaky in the middle of the game, but I pitched through it. I knew our offence would do a good job for us and put up a lot of runs.”
The Raiders started pecking away early at the Bulldog, and got a run in each of the first three innings. Two runs were added in the sixth, and an additional two in the seventh put the icing on the cake.
“Jake had some innings where he struggled, but he righted himself and he pitched well,” head coach Mario Porto said. “We hit the ball with two outs. That was big, and I was very happy about the way we swung the bats today.”
Thomas Luevano’s base hit with one out in the first inning put two runners on, and Garrett Serino’s base hit drove in the first run of the game. Back-to-back base hits by Dalton Duarte and Jack Mulville led off the second inning.
“I thought we played a really good game today,” Mulville said. “We threw strikes. The guys hit the ball well. I’m taking [the playoff prospects] one game at a time, but we have to win Tuesday.”
After the table setters, Jessie Aucelluzzo’s bunt put runners in scoring position in the second, and with one out, a groundout scored the second run from third. With two outs in the third, Serino doubled, and Terrell Tate’s double drove in the third run.
“We’re trying to finish strong, win our last game and see what happens,” Tate said.
Moorpark added two runs in the sixth. Duarte’s double was wasted when the runner was out at home with only one out. With two outs, Mulville’s base hit advanced Duarte to third and Aucelluzzo’s hit drove in a run. Riley Conlan’s base hit scored the fifth run from second.
“If we do get to the playoffs, I feel we’re the team to beat,” Duarte said. “I feel good about the game on Tuesday, especially the way we played today.”
With a runner on third and two outs in the Bulldog seventh, the batter was safe at first on a defensive error which allowed an unearned run against Eaton.
Tate’s double, with two outs and one on in the seventh, drove in another run, and Dalton Duarte’s base hit scored Tate for the seventh and final run of the game.
“We started off strong today and got runs early,” freshman pitcher, Wyatt Birg said. “Pitchers pitch better with runs, and then they don’t have to worry. We should beat them again on Tuesday, and hopefully get into the playoffs.”
The last game of the regular season will be away against Allan Hancock College, Tuesday, April 21, at 2:30 p.m.
