St. Kats No Match: Warriors Roll On

By Brandon Petersen

It was good night for Eddies Friday at the Great Park where Eddies Rios and Rivero led the Westcliff baseball team to its ninth Cal Pac win in 10 tries, this time 8-0 over Saint Katherine.

Rios was in a word, spectacular.  Westcliff's Friday night hurler went seven shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out nine.

Saint Katherine never sent a runner past second base and finished with four hits total, three of which didn't leave the infield.

Rios threw 109 pitches, 68 for strikes — most of it absolute filth. 

"Oh my God, that guy is special," Rivero said of Rios. "It's a really great feeling, going into a first game not knowing anything about the other team, and you're able to go out there an just know you got your dude on the mound.

"You know he's going to give you a competitive start, and that starts with the zero in the first inning. We get a few in the first couple innings, and then it comes down to JT in the 8th and 9th. 

"That's a pretty deadly combo we are able to run out on Friday nights."

Rivero, for his part, went 3-for-4, with a run scored and two driven in, both sparking and clutching up for the Warriors when it mattered most. 

Head Coach David Shermet called the first inning, "the perfect inning," after Rivero led off with a single and stole second. 

Daniel Esqueda pushed him over and Uly Duran scored him on a sac fly.

"Felt really good today, just trying to stay simple, do what I do — just get on base and let the big dogs eat," Rivero said. "And I was lucky enough to get a few hits."

Westcliff opened a four-run lead in the second, scoring three, two of which came when Rivero singled again. 

Both Zane Parmenter and Keith Hale scored. 

Undoubtedly, one of the bright spots of the night was Westcliff's rock-solid defense.

Hale in right field tracked down a difficult fly that ended up in foul territory, and Evan Rocha was just as game in center, corralling long fly ball outs from start to finish.

Rivero and Parmenter combined on a picture-perfect roll-up early and Rivero closed the fifth with a difficult charge-and-throw across his chest. 

"(Our defense) is something we've really focused on in practice," Rivero said. "Our one loss in conference this year was because of errors. We're working every day to make sure that doesn't happen again.

"With the offense we have, with the pitching depth we have, if we can play clean defense, not a lot of teams are going to be able to beat us."

Duran sent a charge through the Great Park rafters in the fifth when he capped an 11-pitch at-bat with an absolute rocket over the 362-foot sign in right-center.

"That's another special man," Rivero said of Duran. "We have a lot of talent, top to bottom, but he sets himself apart with how mature he is. How he approaches his ABs, how well  he controls his emotions, he's just one of those guys you look at.

"He's a role model for the team, because no matter what's happening, you would never know if he was 4-for-4 or 0-for-4. That helps the team a lot. Especially the younger guys — you have to control your emotions because baseball is a game of 'Next up.'"

All told, the Warriors racked up eight hits, three for extras, and worked seven walks. 

Caleb Castanchoa (2B, run scored), Rocha and Hale (run scored, RBI) all went 1-for-3. 

Dillon Kramer tattooed a first-pitch fastball that ricocheted off the scoreboard in right to make 8-0 in the eighth. 

Julian Tristan was dominant in relief, working the final two innings to finish off the shut-out with five strikeouts. 

The Warriors (9-1 Cal Pac, 15-9 overall) and Firebirds (4-4 Cal Pac, 9-11 overall) return to the Great Park Sunday for a doubleheader. 

First pitch of Game 1 is scheduled for 11 a.m. 

Keaton Slack will get the call in the opener.

Desi Garcia will pitch the nightcap.