- El Capitan’s six-run second inning helped them mercy rule the Bears in Game 1.
- Matt Mcquillen allowed two earned runs on one hit over five innings for El Capitan.
- Merced’s pitchers walked six batters and hit six batters over four innings.
The Merced Bears traveled to face the El Capitan Gauchos, on March 16, for their CCC league opener. Merced entered the game with a 1-4 record, while El Capitan came in at 3-3, setting up an important early test for both teams.
El Capitan took the lead in the bottom of the first inning after an error at first base put Cooper Gaoiran on base. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Angel Rivera to give the Gauchos a 1-0 lead. However, the Bears were able to answer in the top of the second inning when Gauchos starter Matt Mcquillen hit the first two batters, Conner Vitelli and Bryce Jimenez, to start the inning. Bears first baseman Angel Molina singled to right field, bringing in Vitelli and moving Jimenez to third. Later in the inning, Trevan Kuhls grounded out to 3rd base; however, this play allowed Jimenez to come home and give the Bears a 2-1 lead.
The lead wouldn’t last long as El Capitan dominated in the bottom of the second inning. Zach Hunter worked a walk to start the inning, and Travis Pavey followed with a single that moved Hunter into scoring position. Cooper Gaoiran walked to load the bases, setting up Angel Rivera, who was hit by a pitch to bring Hunter home. Matt McQuillen kept the rally going with a single that sent Pavey and Gaoiran across the plate. Noah Ruiz then crushed a triple into the outfield, scoring Rivera and McQuillen. Brennan Casey capped the frame with a single that drove in Ruiz, giving the Gauchos six runs in the inning and a commanding 7-2 lead.
The Gauchos continued adding to the score in the bottom of the third inning. With one out recorded and Gaucho runners on first and second base, Matt McQuillen tripled to the outfield, bringing in both runners for his third and fourth RBI of the game. When Merced’s catcher misplayed a pitch, McQuillen was able to advance home. By the end of the third inning, the score read 10-2.
In the fourth inning, the Bears allowed El Capitan to add to the lead by loading the bases with two walks and another batter hit by pitch. El Capitan’s Cooper Gaoiran then reached on an error, bringing in a run. Aidan Witt later drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in another, and a sacrifice fly from Isaac Molina added to the Gauchos’ total as they extended their lead 13-2.
Merced was unable to get any runners on base in the top of the fifth and El Capitan’s lead was enough to invoke the mercy rule, ending the game at 13-2 in favor of the Gauchos.
El Capitan shortstop Cooper Gaoiran, who scored two runs, reflected on the team’s performance, saying, “Our focus was just to play as a team and hit some barrels. Honestly, our hitting was really good today, we scored 13 runs and put the ball in play consistently.” Looking ahead, he added, “We want to make sure we stay energized every inning and keep building momentum.”
With the win, El Capitan improves to 1-0 in the CCC league standings, while Merced falls to 0-1. The two teams are set to meet again for their next league matchup at El Capitan on March 18 at 4:00 p.m., followed by the conclusion to their series Friday night, March 20, at Merced High at 7:00pm.
- Photos by Grace Gallegos. ↩︎
