The El Capitan High baseball team racked up 15 hits on their way to scoring 14 runs during a 14-3 victory over Buhach Colony on Wednesday afternoon to remain all alone atop the Central California Conference standings. 

Juniors Aiden Witt and Angel Rivera both delivered big games at the plate with Witt going 4-for-5 with a double, three runs and three RBIs. Rivera added three hits, including two doubles to go with three runs and three RBIs.

“Offensively, we’re focused on what we do best, taking it one at-bat at a time and adjusting to what the pitcher is giving us,” said El Capitan coach Aaron Ruiz, whose team improved to 14-7 overall and 7-1 in the CCC. “Our approach has been to drive the ball up the middle, and we executed that really well yesterday. Witt and Rivera have both been seeing the ball well lately, and we rely on our top guys to set the table, getting on base and driving runs in. They’ve done a great job of that, along with other key hitters in our lineup stepping up and getting the job done.”

Brennan Casey and Cooper Gaoiran both added two hits each with Casey also scoring two runs and driving in a pair of runs as well. Seven of the Gauchos nine starters recorded at least one hit. Right-hander Benny Centeno pitched five innings to pick up the win. The senior struck out seven and surrendered three runs. Ethan Quintana recorded three hits to lead Buhach Colony’s offense.

The Gauchos lead Atwater by one game atop the CCC standings in their quest for a fifth consecutive CCC championship. “We can’t get ahead of ourselves,” Ruiz said. “It’s a long season, and our league is competitive, any team can win on any given day. Our mindset is to take it one game at a time, staying locked in on the task at hand. We emphasize winning each pitch, then each inning, and maintaining that focus keeps us grounded and consistent.”

Atwater 6, Los Banos 2 – Brandon Vargas pitching into the seventh inning and struck out 10 Tigers along the way as the Falcons won their seventh consecutive game to improve to 15-4-1 overall and 6-2 in the CCC. Vargas gave up just one hit, two walks and two runs in his outing. Logan Sanchez and Evan Ingraham both collected two hits and combined for three runs scored for Atwater.

Merced 9, Golden Valley 4 – Trevan Kuhls and Luis Pineda both drove in two runs as the Bears won their second consecutive game over the Cougars. Merced put the game away with a five-run seventh inning. Bryce Jimenez and Joshua Molina both collected two hits and scored a run for the Bears, who improved to 3-5 in the CCC. Connor Vitelli pitched into the seventh inning to pick up the win.

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.