Yuba City junior infielder Zeke Garcia (2) fields and is ready to throw a runner out at first base in the Honkers’ 11-7 defeat on Thursday, April 11.

Yuba City

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - The young Yuba City Honkers baseball team was swept by the Woodcreek Timberwolves in the latest three-game Capital Valley Conference series last week as they fell to 5-7 overall in league play.

Yuba City Head Coach Maury Castaneda told the Dispatch it was one bad inning each game that dug the Honkers into a hole. Although Yuba City fell below a .500 winning percentage and into fifth place in the CVC standings, Castaneda believes in his team to make the jump and get back into the playoff picture.

In the series against Woodcreek, the one bad inning by the Honkers allowed the Timberwolves to put up a crooked number on the scoreboard of four or more runs. The runs were scored off primarily hits but the crooked numbers throughout the week shifted the momentum of Woodcreek.

Of the 17 players on the roster, 10 are sophomore/juniors and his starting infield a lot of time throughout the season has been the younger core.

A positive for the Honkers against Woodcreek was the ability to put runs up on the board and constantly put the ball in play, which they had previously struggled with in the earlier part of the CVC schedule. 

Castaneda expressed to the Dispatch that they will put it all together one of these days and will be dangerous when they connect and click on all cylinders.

Yuba City was scheduled to host the CVC leader (Bella Vista) this past Tuesday and Thursday evenings before they are supposed to finish the three-game series today at Bella Vista.

Sutter

SUTTER, CA (MPG) - The Sutter Union baseball team swept their two-game series against the Wheatland Pirates last week and maintained their perfect record in Pioneer Valley League play.

In the Sutter 10-0 victory on Tuesday, April 9, Huskies senior pitcher/Hawaii signee Jagger Beck pitched a no-hitter.

Sutter junior first baseman Brady Wickum (13) hits a fly ball in the Huskies’ 4-0 win over Union Mine on April 6.

The only blemish that kept the game from a perfect start was a walk in the top of the fifth inning, but Beck looked dominant on the hill as he struck out six Wheatland hitters searching for a treasure on how to find a hit as 67% of his pitches were thrown for strikes.

Junior first baseman Brady Wickum led the Huskies with three hits and opened the game scoring as he hit a two-run single in the first inning with two outs.

In the second game on Thursday, April 11, it was a pair of Sutter senior arms that pitched a gem between Rylan Giovannoni and Kasey Combo.

Giovannoni picked up his third win of the season after he pitched six innings of two-hit baseball. He sat down seven Pirates at the plate. Combo pitched a scoreless seventh inning. 

The Huskies had three multi-hit performances in the game including Wickum, junior center fielder Carson Bishop and senior shortstop Logan Yacavace.

Sutter was scheduled to continue PVL this week against Center.