Eagles sweep Palo Verde

EL CENTRO — Five games into their 2020 season, the Southwest Eagles are in a familiar position: Alone atop the Imperial Valley League standings.

Last year’s runaway league champs have given themselves a leg up on this year’s race with an early-season sweep of Palo Verde High, beating the Yellowjackets 5-1 in Blythe on Saturday and 4-3 at home on Monday.

The lion’s share of credit for the Eagles’ Saturday win has to go to starting pitcher Danny Ramirez, who waxed Palo Verde for seven sterling innings, giving up just three hits while striking out 11 and walking none.

Ramirez also reached base twice, going 1-for-2 at the plate and getting hit by his fifth pitch of the season, coming around to score both times.

Catcher Jose Perez also scored twice, reaching on a two-RBI double and an error, and Ezequiel Barraza scored the final run, going 2-for-3 with a double of his own.

Ramirez was pivotal again in Monday’s game, accounting for half of the Eagles’ six hits as he went 3-for-3 with three RBI in support of starter Derek Silva, who went five innings, giving up three runs on two hits while striking out eight against two walks.

Despite that solid line, Silva was briefly in danger of being saddled with a loss after the Yellowjackets scored one in the top of the fifth to go up 3-2 (Southwest had scored first with two runs in the bottom of the first inning; Palo Verde answered with two in the top of the second before scoring again in the fifth), but the Eagles’ bats responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, allowing Silva to claim the win.

Rudy Gonzalez came on in relief in the sixth inning and was dominant over the final two frames, giving up one hit, walking none and striking out five to nail down the save.

Next on the Eagles’ schedule is an Arizona road trip. They’re slated to participate in the River Valley High School hosted Route 66 tournament from Thursday through Sunday.