El Molino will host Analy on April 15 in “Apple Game”
The Analy Tigers have risen to the top of the Sonoma County League baseball heap this week, thanks in large part to a pair of decisive wins over title hopefuls Petaluma (11-3) and Sonoma Valley (6-1).
The wins vaulted the Tigers into first place with a perfect 4-0 record, a game and a half up on Sonoma (2-1), El Molino (2-1) and Petaluma (2-1). Rounding out the league standings were Piner (1-2), Healdsburg (1-3) and Elsie Allen (0-4).
At press time Analy (11-4 overall) was preparing to host Novato in a non-league clash on April 12, followed by a visit to El Molino on Friday, April 15 in the first of two scheduled battles for the apple.
“Last week was very big week for us,” Tigers coach Jeff Ogston said. “We’re playing good baseball right now, but honestly, not our best. Overall, I think we’ve put ourselves in a good position. We still have a long way to go, but we’ll do our best to stay focused through the rest of the season.”
Meanwhile, the El Molino Lions are in the midst of a surprising campaign with a line-up filled with mostly underclassmen. Last week, the Lions scored a 6-2 win at Healdsburg in their lone outing to push their overall record to 5-6.
Tigers pound Petaluma
The much anticipated April 5 clash with visiting Petaluma was a one-sided affair, as Analy staked starting pitcher Gabe Werthimer to a 9-0 lead after three innings. Junior slugger Jordan Parks did much of the damage with a double and a home run.
Werthimer went the distance, tossing seven innings and scattering nine hits and three earned runs to notch the biggest win of the season. Danny Marzo took the loss for the Trojans. Top hitters for the Tigers were Parks (3 for 5, 2B, HR, run, 5 RBIs), Carter Merlaud (2 for 3, run), Keaton Bates (1 for 3, run), Jacob Beeler (1 for 1, 2B) and Taylor Cullen (1 for 4, run, RBI).
Analy traveled to Sonoma Valley for an April 8 night game at Arnold Field, sending veteran Ryan Calderon to the hill opposite Sonoma starter Shane O’Malley. The Tigers scored a pair of first inning runs to take the lead and iced the contest with a four run uprising in the fifth en route to a 6-1 win.
Calderon notched the win, while top hitters included Devon Ogston (1 for 4, run) and Cullen (1 for 4, 2B, run, RBI).
Lions notch win
Resurgent El Molino paid a trip to Healdsburg’s Recreation Park on April 5, sending senior Kyle Kaasch to the hill opposite Greyhound’s starter Zac Vallery. The Lions did all the damage in the second and sixth innings, pushing across three runs in each frame en route to a 6-2 win.
Kaasch (5 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 4 Ks) earned the victory, while teammate Mitch Fricker (2 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 6 Ks) pitched well in relief. Top El Mo hitters were freshman Jordan Hamner (3 for 4, RBI), Austin Sani (2 for 3, 2 runs), Sam Wilson (1 for 3), Jake Peter (1 for 4, run), Gus Guerne (1 for 1, run), Ian Siegert (1 for 2, run, RBI) and Fricker (1 for 1, RBI).
