- Buhach Swept Merced in three games to finish 7-8 in the CCC.
- Buhach Colony has qualified for the Division 3 playoffs and will face Christian Brothers High.
- The Bears end the season losing their final six games.
Merced High hosted Buhach Colony High on Friday evening for the Bears’ senior night matchup and final game of the regular season. After narrowly winning the first two matchups earlier in the week, 5-4 and 6-1, the Buhach Colony Thunder were hopeful they could complete the sweep.
The Thunder wasted no time setting the tone. With two runners on base, Bennett Stoddard singled to bring in Dylan Newkirk for the Thunder’s first run of the game in the top of the first. Chase Sanderson then drove a ball to right field for a double, bringing in two runs. With the bases loaded, Jax Vawter added another single to right field that brought in another run and Julian Llamas grounded out with a runner on third to push the lead to 5-0. Ethan Quintana then came to the plate and delivered the biggest swing of the inning, hitting a three-run home run that catapulted the Thunder to an 8-0 lead before the Bears had a chance to bat.
In the third inning, the Bears were able to get on the board when Dylan Speidel hit a bases loaded single that brought in Luis Pineda. Brendon Johnson was able to draw a bases loaded walk that allowed Damian Casey to score the Bears’ second run of the game, narrowing the score to 9-2.
Any momentum built up by the Bears quickly dissolved in the fourth inning as the Thunder delivered another eight run inning for their offense. This time, the charge was led by Jacob Medina who doubled to right field, scoring two runs, and Samuel Sanderson who also singled in two runs. By the end of the inning the Thunder had a dominant 17-2 lead.
Merced’s Vicente Cortez added a run in the fourth inning with a hit to right field, but the Bears eventually struck out to end the frame. Unable to add any more runs to the score, the Bears were eventually defeated after the 5th inning as the mercy rule was invoked due to the Thunder’s large lead.
After the game, Buhach’s senior shortstop Ethan Quintana, discussed what the season has meant to him and the team. “I’ve been with the guys since day one, Jacob Medina, Bennett Stoddard, you know, we just grind every day and we just love the game. We want to keep going,” Quintana said, emphasizing the bond built over the course of the season and the motivation to extend it further. “I think we swung well, and our pitchers hit our spots really well. I mean, obviously there’s a lot of room for improvement, but I hope we can just build off of this one,” he said.
Quintana will get his chance to keep things going as the Buhach Thunder qualified for the Sac Joaquin Division three playoffs and will travel to face Christian Brothers High on Wednesday, May 6th, 2026. For Merced, the loss closes out their season at 6-21 overall and 4-11 in league play. The Bears finished in fifth place in the CCC.
- Photos by Grace Gallegos. ↩︎
