The Foothill League baseball race just got a lot tighter.
Dominant pitching and a monster day at the plate from senior Eddie Gutierrez led Hart Indians baseball to a tight 2-1 win over the visiting West Ranch Wildcats (16-6-1, 7-2) on Wednesday.
The first baseman Gutierrez batted a perfect 3-for-3 on the day, including a solo shot on the first pitch he saw to go up 2-1 in the second inning. The senior has been as steady as they come all season and now raises his batting average to .448 on the year for Hart (18-5, 7-2).
“I saw it and I was just like I’m just gonna swing at it, that’s the best pitch I’m gonna get right there and sure enough it went,” Gutierrez said. “I was just trying to get on base because leadoff hitters just get on base.”
West Ranch ace Jackson Banuelos pitched well in his ninth outing of the season as the CSUN commit allowed three walks and five hits, with five strikeouts.
Three of those five hits belonged to Gutierrez, who got the better of his friend from Stevenson Ranch.
“It makes me feel, that’s my good buddy over there,” Gutierrez said. “I’ve been playing with Jackson for a while now so getting to play against him still is pretty cool. He’s been doing really well.”
Banuelos still did his part to keep the Wildcats in the game. The senior pitcher shook off the home run and allowed just one base runner until Gutierrez’s next at-bat.
The West Ranch offense struggled to get going as only two Wildcats could find hits on the day. Catcher Nolan Stoll led the way, also going 3-for-3, while leadoff man Ty Diaz’s infield RBI single was the only score the team could find in round one with Hart.
The Indians struck immediately in the first inning as junior Michael Hogen brought in Brady Werther on an RBI single.
Hogen also nearly went yard with a deep shot to the warning track but Cats left fielder Mikey Murr was ready and made a sensational backtracking catch.
Ryan De La Maza also added one hit for the Indians.
Taj Brar did his part to keep the Wildcats’ bats cooled off and went a strong 4.2 innings, despite showing some fatigue in the hot sun during the fourth inning.
Brar, a Biola commit, allowed just three hits and fanned eight batters.
Hart has had one of the steadiest closers in the Foothill League in senior Ian Edwards and nothing changed on Wednesday.
Edwards entered in the fifth after Brar struck out two straight opponents but felt a little discomfort in his arm. For the second straight week, Edwards needed just one pitch to escape an inning and retired his one opponent for a quick ending to the fifth.
The sidearm closer allowed an infield single to Stoll but retired his next five batters to notch the save.
Edwards struck out four Wildcats with no walks and now lowers his season ERA to 0.90.
Hart was overlooked in the Foothill League after getting swept by Saugus a few weeks ago. The Indians have now bounced back and won three straight as the team looks to send off its longtime coach Jim Ozella with one last Foothill League title.
“I know a lot of teams are hoping that we lose, but come on, it’s Hart High School,” Gutierrez said. “We’re gonna work our hardest to win that league.”
The Indian win puts three teams atop the standings with seven wins apiece, including the Wildcats and Centurions.
Hart will likely showcase senior ace Troy Cooper on Friday while West Ranch’s strong junior Hunter Manning will look to even the series.
The Indians will look for the first sweep of the Wildcats in two years as West Ranch hosts round two on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
“I think we’ll just work hard tomorrow at practice and when we get to that game on Friday, we just gotta swing the bats,” Gutierrez said. “I know our pitcher Troy Cooper’s gonna be throwing zeroes, so our bats just need to step up.”
