Dos Pueblos baseball’s undefeated start to the Channel League season rolled on with an 11-2 victory over Buena on Friday at Scott O’Leary Field.
The Chargers (10-1, 4-0 Channel League) have carried the momentum over from last year’s CIF Division 4 Runner-Up season, despite losing several key contributors to graduation.
“I think a lot of it is those seniors last year,” Dos Pueblos head coach George Hedricks said of this year’s early success. “They were good leaders, they left a good foundation, and they showed that after four years of hard work, if you buy in, you believe and you work hard, the results will be there.
“To see them now as juniors and seniors contributing, there really isn’t a skip… We lost a lot of talent, but they did such a good job leading those young kids that they were more apt to step into that role this year.”
The Chargers are the last undefeated team left in the Channel League, with Pacifica and San Marcos tied for second place at 3-1.
After DP junior starter Jameson Barth walked the first batter of the game, he flashed some leather to make up for it. The second batter bunted a pop-up in front of the mound and the lefty dove for the catch before getting up and firing back to first for the double play.
The next batter doubled, but Barth settled down and got a flyout to escape the inning unharmed.
The Chargers then got a taste of their own medicine in the bottom half. Freshman Matti Di Maggio led off with a walk, but the next batter’s bunt found the outstretched arm of Buena starter Kody Walton and he completed the double play with a throw back to second.
The Bulldogs broke the scoreless tie in the top of the second when Brody Burnett roped a two-out RBI single up the middle for the early 1-0 lead.
The Chargers responded in the bottom half as senior Evan Bean tied the game with an RBI single to right-center field to score junior Marcus Carbajal, who scored to lead off the inning.
Junior Logan Pearce then gave DP a 2-1 advantage with a run-scoring groundout to first to wrap up the second-inning scoring.
“Our DP way has always been, we’re used to having pitching and we’re used to trying to manufacture and bunt when we can,” Hedricks said. “It’s nice while it lasts right now that the boys are taking advantage of that and trusting passing the stick.
“They’re not afraid to give up an out or sacrifice early in the game knowing that they may get to come up later in the game with a chance to swing it.”
Buena got one run back in the third on a Cameron Ontiveros RBI single to even the score at 2-2, but Barth got back-to-back outs with the bases loaded to limit the damage to one.
The seesaw action continued in the bottom of the third, as the Chargers regained the lead on a dropped third strike that snuck under the catcher’s legs and allowed junior Stone Saunders to score.
One batter later, senior Spencer Holtz drove in junior Taylor Young on a groundout to shortstop to take a 4-2 lead into the fourth.
Barth then cruised through a 1-2-3 frame in the fourth, and the Charger offense responded with a four-run inning to pull away from Buena. Barth’s outing came to an end there, and he would go on to earn the victory.
“[Barth] has been working on a lot of things throughout the season, early in the year,” Hedricks said. “He was trying to find his command, trying to find his rhythm, clean up his mechanics, he’s been working really hard on it.
“I thought today was a step in the right direction. If every time you go out there, you get a little bit better, in the long run, you’re going to be right where you need to be. He got into some trouble, but he didn’t break… He ultimately buckled down and made pitches when he needed to and trusted his defense.”
In the bottom of the fourth, Di Maggio launched an RBI double to center field, Young sent a ball to the left-field wall for a two-run double and junior Nick Salcido drove in a run on a single to make it a comfortable 8-2 lead.
Junior Max Means took over for Barth on the mound in the fifth and kept the Bulldogs off the board, and the Chargers stayed hot in the bottom half.
Barth remained in the game to hit and came through in the bottom half with an RBI double following a leadoff walk by Means. DP then took advantage of several Bulldog miscues to grow its lead, as a bases-loaded walk and a balk brought two runs home and made it an 11-2 game.
Friday’s outburst was just the latest for the Charger offense, which has scored double-digit runs three times and has not scored less than five runs in a game thus far.
“I think why it’s worked so well is they are believing in the approach,” Hedricks said of his offense. “It’s not always going to go put up 11 (runs), but you can certainly go out there and get one or two early, and it kind of just loosens everything up and allows you to be a little more free in the middle innings to maybe swing the stick or put something different on.
“We feel like anybody in the lineup can get their job done when their name’s called, and it doesn’t always work that way, but it certainly is right now. I think a lot of that is just the guys trusting in the process.”
That lead held until the top of the seventh, as the Bulldogs scored one run on a double by Brody Kaylor to make it 11-3. However, Pearce buckled down and put the finishing touches on the Charger win.
Dos Pueblos will look to keep it rolling with a series against Pacifica next week, beginning at home on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.