Matt Muñoz scored on a wild pitch to tie the score for Carpinteria in the top of the seventh at Nordhoff, and the two teams ended up playing to a 2-2 draw as the Citrus Coast League game on Wednesday was called after eight innings because of darkness.
“A tie is weird. Teams do not show up to baseball games thinking that there is going to be a draw,” said Carpinteria coach Pat Cooney. “We missed some golden opportunities to win the game but also dodged the possibility of losing one. The solutions to this one are psychological.”
Joaquin Ramirez went the distance for the Warriors. He escaped defeat in the eighth as the Rangers loaded the base with one out. He induced a pop out and line out before the umpires called the game.
The Carpinteria hitters were kept off balance by Carlos Bautista for five innings.
The Warriors (3-1-1) trailed 2-0 going into the sixth inning. Beto Martinez reached second on a throwing error and scored on a single by Isaac Flores.
The hustle of Muñoz knotted the score in the seventh.
“Our group was not offensive today and we had a difficult time managing the many uncontrollable factors that a high school baseball game can contain at times,” said Cooney. “Ramirez continues to improve each time out and he really gave us the opportunity to stay in the game. He and catcher Diego Nieves are really working well together.”
The Warriors are back in action Friday at home against first-place Santa Paula.