With a tough Boras Classic tournament in the rearview mirror and a high-stakes series against Hart in front of them, West Ranch baseball was in need of a quick boost on Monday afternoon.
A 3-0 home win over Moorpark gave the Wildcats just the momentum they needed to continue the week.
“It was one of those things we really needed the win and it was any way we could get it,” said Will Chambers. “Especially going into the Hart weekend, it’s a really big weekend so it was really huge to come back and play the way we did.”
The Cats (12-6-0 overall, 4-1 in Foothill League) jumped on the board early with an RBI double from Christos Stefanos in the first inning. Then, with runners on second and third, Chambers grounded out and allowed Ryan Camacho to slip by home plate.
The scoring picked up once again in the third frame. Jovan Camacho was walked, then stole second and advanced to third on a balk. Chambers stepped up and hit a laser to center field for an RBI single.
“I thought my guys set me up well,” Chambers said. “We had guys set on base before me and it makes my job really easy. When other guys do what they do, all I’ve got to do is swing.”
Also making life easy for West Ranch was the pitching staff. David Montalban, Justin Bumgarner and Brenden Fisher each spent time on the mound, with Fisher picking up the win after allowing two hits and logging one strikeout in three innings.
“All three pitchers threw a ton of strikes and really got after the hitters,” said coach Casey Burrill. “We kept them off balance all day. So we were real pleased with our performance.”
Moorpark (10-5-1, 3-0 in Coastal Canyon League) nearly scored in the seventh inning, when Rhett Herzog launched a hit towards the fences, but center fielder Ryan Camacho jumped up and bent backwards for the catch and a quick out.
The Cats face Hart on Wednesday and Friday of this week. The two teams are tied for first in league, but the Indians’ won 3-2 in their first meeting of the season.
“Whatever it takes to win,” Chambers said. “It doesn’t matter if I have to go 0-for-4 with four bunts, I’ll do whatever it takes. I just want to win a league championship and I know all our guys do.”
