Spuds top Cate, 9-0
Ojai Valley School’s baseball team came out even this week, opening the season with a 11-7 loss to Nordhoff in the teams’ first battle in more than two decades. Two days later, the OVS Spuds topped rival Cate, 9-0.
OVS coach Doug Colborn said despite the loss to the NHS Rangers, he was proud of his team’s ability to hold their own against a school seven times larger than OVS. “We only had three seniors playing yesterday, and for three other kids, it was their first high school baseball game ever,” Colborn said. “We progressed by leaps and bounds as the game progressed.”
OVS saw a strong performance from junior Derek Mendoza, who had two hits (including a triple) and two RBIs and gave up no earned runs in his two and two-thirds innings on the mound. Other highlights included two scored runs from sophomore Ryan Farrell, and two hits and a run scored for senior Tyler Davis. Freshman Hyun Ung Choi was a force offensively, Colborn added, with two hits and two RBIs.
Added Colborn: “Shout-out to Nordhoff’s Junior Patino and Carlos Bautista. They both had solid games at the plate. And Roman Mahler had a strong performance on the mound.”
Against Cate, the Spuds came out in a big way, blanking the Rams, 9-0. Leading the charge was Farrell on the mound. “Ryan Farrell beat Cate,” said a proud Coach Colborn. Farrell had 11 strikeouts and allowed only two hits, pitching the entire game.
Offensively, Mendoza went two for three with an RBI and two runs scored, while junior Adrian Ortiz contributed a two-RBI double.
“It was nice to get that first win out of the way, especially against a solid program like Cate,” said Colborn. “This was a big one for us.”
The Spuds are off next week for their Winter Break, but return to face Valley Christian at home on March 3 at 3:30 p.m. A day later, they’ll host Villanova Prep, at 3:30 p.m.
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