Baseball
Varsity: Central Valley 5, Merced 4
JV: Central Valley 11, Merced 2
The Hawks (13-13 overall, 6-4 CCC) showed up in the big moments yesterday and battled through some defensive adversity as they defeated the Merced Bears 5-4 in a crucial CCC matchup. In the battle for the 3rd and final playoff spot, the Hawks came through when it mattered most. Both teams struggled defensively (CV 3 errors, Merced 4 errors), but Eddie Stewart pitched his way through traffic to lead the Hawks to victory. Eddie stabilized things on the mound as he needed just 68 pitches to go 6 innings, scattered 5 hits, 0 earned runs, and 3 K’s to pick up the win. Chris Garcia closed the door for the 2nd time this week with a scoreless 7th to pick up his 2nd save in the series. Offensively, the Hawks were led by Caden Mendonca (2-3, RBI), Eddie Stewart (1-3, RBI), and Chris Garcia (1-3, 2B, RBI). This win puts the Hawks magic number at 1 to clinch a playoff spot. With just 2 games remaining in the regular season, the Hawks can clinch at home next Tuesday vs. Buhach at 4pm. A Patterson win over Atwater would also send the Hawks to the post-season. Good luck to the Hawks as they look to punch their ticket to the post-season.