Castaic Coyotes baseball completed the sweep on Friday after defeating the visiting Golden Valley Grizzlies for the second straight game.
Castaic saw a ton of hitting from the middle of the order while its No. 2 pitcher shined on the hill.
Coyotes junior Chad Kober threw a complete-game shutout and neutralized the Grizzlies with five strikeouts, four hits and no walks in the 6-0 win.
“I struggled a little bit early on,” Kober said. “I felt like the umpire was squeezing me a little bit, so I had to find the zone, but once I found that I just kept going from there, kept getting my spots. I don’t really feel pressure as I’ve been put in some stressful situations. To me it’s just another day on the mound.”
Kober was solid to start but heated up later in the game, creating his own momentum and riding it to the finish. After facing numerous batters in the opening innings, Kober caught fire and retired 13 of his final 14 opponents.
The outing was Kober’s second straight shutout, showing Castaic coach Darrell Davis some serious consistency.
“He’s been consistent for us and he’s a junior,” Davis said. “He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do for these next two or three years.”
The Castaic (6-6, 2-2) offense backed up their junior on the hill with a number of runs but Grizzlies (6-5-1, 0-2) starter Tyler Tait still showcased some solid play on the mound.
Tait allowed six hits, with a pair of walks and three strikeouts in his first Foothill League outing of the year. Grizzlies coach Adrian Rios saw his starter throw well but also saw a handful of errors behind him.
“Tyler’s always gonna compete, we love the kid,” Rios said. “We definitely want him to succeed all the time was on the mound. I thought that he would have to be able to keep us in the game but obviously the defense made some errors. So it’s really difficult to play competitive baseball if we’re booting the ball round, especially against a team like this.”
The Coyotes’ middle of the order had an outstanding day as junior Chris Cailatto, senior Tyler Hawn and catcher Ivan Estrada nearly batted a collective 1.000.
Tait was dynamic against the top and bottom of the orders before exiting in the fifth inning.
Golden Valley sent in freshman reliever Aiden Renstrom, who locked in after a shaky start. Renstrom hit his first opponent, loading the bases in a two-out jam. Renstrom struck out his final opponent to get out the jam and keep the Grizzlies in striking distance.
However, only Grizzlies catcher Brayden Brewer could get on base after the third inning with a single in the fifth. Brewer finished the day 2-for-3.
Three straight hits, including a double from Hawn, from the Coyote middle of the order broke open the game in the third inning.
Estrada registered his second RBI in the fifth inning to go up 5-0.
Castaic won its fourth game in a row on Saturday after a 12-5 win over Chatsworth and will now look to carry its momentum into its league series with Valencia.
“Our defense has really picked up recently and we’ve struggled with that a bit,” Kober said. “Our pitching has been successful. We just need to get the bats going and that started today. We’re ready for Valencia next week.”
Valencia swept Castaic last season and though there aren’t a ton of returners on either side, both teams will be clawing for a win.
“We’re gonna come with T-Hawn and figure out if we will come back with Kober again,” Davis said. “We’re still trying to find those two or three other arms that are going to help us and that are consistent. We’re trying to be consistent, we’re gonna come and fight. It’s the Foothill League. It’s fun time.”
The Coyotes return home Wednesday to host the Vikings before heading to Valencia on Friday. Golden Valley remains on the road and heads to Hart on Wednesday and will host the Indians on Friday. All games are slated for 3:30 p.m.
“I know a lot of people at Valencia,” Kober said. “I’m expecting some backlash from them. So I’m ready to take it and I’m ready for whatever challenge they throw at me.”
