Cate baseball clinched the Frontier League championship with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Dunn on Tuesday in Los Olivos.
It was a pitcher’s duel throughout, as the game remained locked at 0-0 heading into the seventh inning.
In the top of the seventh, Peter Lehman dropped a single into left field and made his way to third base on a stolen base and a Dunn error.
Chase Meyer then executed a squeeze bunt to perfection, bringing home Lehman and taking a 1-0 lead.
Lehman, who started the game for the Rams, got the first out of the seventh before turning it over to Quinn Pullen, who struck out the final two batters to secure the win and the league title.
“This was about as clean and as fun of a baseball game as I’ve been around in my time on the Mesa,” Cate head coach David Soto said. “We were up against a scrappy team that had a dominant starting pitcher and hung in there.
“There were plenty of times when the momentum could have swung the other way, but we stayed confident in our abilities and weathered every storm. This is a resilient group and I’m proud of all they accomplished.”
The lefthanded Lehman was dominant throughout the afternoon, allowing just three hits and striking out seven in 6 ⅓ scoreless innings.
The Cate defense had his back all game long, including catcher Noah Casbarro throwing out three baserunners attempting to steal.
Meyer also recorded an outfield assist to gun down the potential go-ahead run late in the game and Ethan Gibson saved a run with a web gem at second base.
The Rams will turn around and host rival Thacher on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
Santa Barbara High 9, Pacifica 3
The Dons earned a 9-3 Channel League victory over Pacifica on Tuesday in Oxnard.
After a scoreless first inning, the Dons got on the board in the second on an RBI single by Grady Wilson to take a 1-0 lead.
Zeke Adderley extended that lead to 3-0 in the third inning with a two-run blast over the center-field wall.
The Tritons answered with a run in the bottom of the third, but Santa Barbara got that run back in the fourth with a solo homer off the bat of Wilson to make it 4-1.
The Dons pulled away in the fifth with a five-run inning courtesy of two bases-loaded free passes and a Pacifica error. They cruised to the 9-3 win from there.
Eric Anthony went the distance on the mound, allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out four in seven innings of work.
While Wilson’s three RBI led the Santa Barbara offense, Jetner Welch had a solid day as well, going 3-for-4.
The Dons, who are tied atop the league standings with Ventura, will host Pacifica on Friday at Eddie Mathews Field at 3:30 p.m.
San Marcos 6, Buena 2
A fast start powered the Royals to a league win over the Bulldogs on Tuesday at Joe Mueller Field.
San Marcos plated three runs in the opening frame courtesy of an RBI single by Miles Herbert, an RBI sacrifice fly by David Burkholder and an RBI double by Levi Monson to take a 3-0 lead.
After a scoreless second, the Royals added two more in the third thanks to a Burkholder RBI double and an RBI sacrifice fly from Grant Hoover.
Ethan Stokhaug dominated on the mound for San Marcos, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just three baserunners and striking out five.
The final San Marcos run came in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by Quinn Melton. Buena scored twice in the top of the seventh, but it was too little, too late.
Brukolhder, Herbert and Patrick Foster all went 2-for-3 for the Royals. Foster scored a pair of runs and stole two bases.
The Royals will host St. Bonaventure on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. for Senior Day.
Ventura 4, Dos Pueblos 2
The Chargers fell to the Cougars on Tuesday at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
Ventura opened the scoring in the top of the first, but Dos Pueblos starter Seth Tedeschi settled in and hurled three scoreless innings to keep the score at 1-0 heading into the fifth.
However, the Cougars added some insurance runs with a three-spot in the fifth inning to go up 4-0.
The Chargers got on the board in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI triple by Taylor Young and an RBI sacrifice fly off the bat of Zach Gesswein to cut the deficit to 4-2 heading into the seventh.
Dos Pueblos got a runner into scoring position in the seventh but couldn’t bring him around and ultimately was hit with the loss.
The two teams will meet for the final game of the Channel League season on Friday in Ventura.