UAV baseball starts season with series win over USK
LANCASTER — The University of Antelope Valley took two out of three games from St. Katherine Friday and Saturday to start its 2021 baseball season.
The three-time California Pacific Conference champion Pioneers (2-1, 2-1 Cal Pac) won a nail-biter, 8-7, in their first game of the season on Friday. Jacob Ogle went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs for UAV, while Will Garcia was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs and Dawson Bakker had two hits, including a triple, and an RBI.
UAV pitcher Andrew Garcia picked up the win, allowing seven runs, six earned, on 14 hits, three walks and one hit batter with seven strikeouts. Cameron Heinrich got a three-inning save, allowing just two hits and striking out two in 3.1 innings.
After a brief intermission, the two teams started the second game of the twinbill. St. Katherine jumped out to a 5-0 lead before the game was called due to weather.
The two teams picked up the second game on Saturday where the Firebirds (14-7, 1-2) went on to win 15-5.
UAV pitcher Isaiah Ramos took the loss after allowing 10 runs, nine earned, on 13 hits and five walks with three strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
Keola Viloria had two hits and an RBI for the Pioneers, while Chris Cook also had two hits, Gabriel
Jimenez had two hits, including a double, and three RBIs, Manny Perez added a double and Tyler Van Marter also had an RBI.
The Pioneers bounced back in the series finale with a 17-7 victory in seven innings. UAV was down 4-1 before putting up 11 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Brock Bueno hit the Pioneers’ first
home run of the season and also had a double for two RBIs. UAV’s Dominic Enbody went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, Viloria was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, Van Marter hit a double and drove in three runs and Bryan Gomez was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
The Pioneers take on Bethesda University at the Hangar on March 23 at 11 a.m.