By Justin Vigil-Zuniga
Signal Staff Writer
Week 4 Foothill League Baseball Standings
- Hart (13-7, 6-0)
- West Ranch (9-8, 5-1)
- Valencia (9-9, 6-2)
- Castaic (7-7, 3-3)
- Saugus (6-14, 2-6)
- Canyon (6-9-1, 1-5)
- Golden Valley (5-12, 1-7)
The Foothill League saw all sweeps for the first time this season in week four. Hart, Valencia and Saugus all came out with a pair of big league wins.
Quintanar has three straight home-run games, Hart remains last unbeaten
The Indians notched a pair of solid wins in their series with the Coyotes. Hart won the games 9-4 and 12-4, partially thanks to two home runs from Indians’ catcher Matt Quintanar. The senior also hit a dinger Saturday in Hart’s win over Chatsworth, giving Quintanar a streak of three.
The big lefty Chris Downs got the win in game two for Hart, keeping Castaic at an arm’s length through his 4.2 innings on the mound. Downs and the pitching staff stranded base runners throughout both games, keeping the Coyotes a play away.
Hart will have a week in between games and host Quartz Hill on Saturday before returning to league action with West Ranch after spring break. Castaic will play a couple of non-league games over their break before heading into their league series with Canyon next week.
Valencia handles Canyon, sits at third
The Vikings got their second sweep of the season and held the Cowboys to just one run over two games. First baseman Jose Mariano’s home-run streak hit four games in a row in Valencia’s 14-1 win at Canyon. The slugger finished a modest 1-3 with a double in the Vikings’ 3-0 win at Valencia.
Chapman got the shutout win in game two, holding the Cowboys to three hits in his six-inning start. Chapman struck out six and walked just two.
Valencia showed they could hit against some of the best in the country in the team’s Saturday loss at Sierra Canyon. Most of the team got on base but Kaden Shields and Scotty Pieper both smacked multi-hit games on LSU commit Jaden Noot.
The team still lost to the No. 5 in the country but showed they can hit with the best. Valencia will now have almost two weeks off before returning to league play in their series with Golden Valley.
Canyon will have a busy spring break and try to regroup in two non-league games. The Cowboys had a three-game homestand slated for this week but have canceled their Friday matchup with Viewpoint. The team will have a pair of 3 p.m. matchups with Kennedy and San Fernando on Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to league action against Castaic next week.
Saugus gets much-needed wins over Golden Valley
Saugus may have been the last team to get a league win but their sweep of the Grizzlies jumped them up into fifth place in the Foothill League. Centurion ace Carson Knapp threw a complete game three-hitter to clinch Saugus’ first league win this year. The team won 5-0 and was led by Andrew Harris and TJ Cataldi with two hits on the day. Cataldi, a junior, also hit a solo home run.
The Centurions fell in their away non-league matchup with Mira Costa 10-7 in between their Grizzly games. Michael Durham led the team, going a perfect 4-4 while Carson Panarisi and Michael DeSantiago followed with impressive 3-4 days at the plate.
Saugus exploded at Golden Valley in game two. The Centurions had two five-run innings, including one in the seventh, adding some insurance runs. Saugus registered 13 hits.
Saugus will be off for spring break before heading into their league bye week next week. The team will have non-league matchups at Granada Hills and host Cleveland.
SCV Baseball Schedule
Wednesday, April 6
San Fernando @ Canyon at 3 p.m.
Castaic @ Summit at 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 7
Desert Christian @ Trinity at 3:30 p.m.
SCCS@ Lancaster Baptist at 3:15 p.m.
Saturday, April 9
Quartz Hill @ Hart at 10 a.m.
Castaic @ Simi Valley at 10 a.m.
Golden Valley @ Palmdale at 11 a.m.
