Coyotes finish Easter Classic 3-1
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera’s Aaron Benividez slides in safely after scoring on a passed ball during an 11-0 victory Monday over the Chowchilla Tribe in the Fresno Easter Classic.
After the first day of the Fresno Easter Classic, the Madera Coyotes baseball team had a chance to play in the championship game on Wednesday.
However, a 3-1 loss Tuesday to Buhach Colony-Atwater turned those plans away. The Coyotes picked up a 4-3 victory in the first game of the tournament on Monday and defeated the Chowchilla Tribe, 10-0 in the evening game, all at Mel Parker Field.
After the 3-1 loss to Buhach on Tuesday, the Coyotes rebounded with a 9-4 victory over Foothill-Palo-Cedro.
“We had a great tournament,” head coach Andy Underwood said. “We had a shot at the championship if we would have pulled out a win and gave up a couple of runs. Overall, it was a good tournament. We didn’t give up a bunch of runs. We played a little bit sloppy on defense. We made a bunch of errors today. We got away with some things and caught a few breaks.”
The Coyotes’ pitching staff recorded a 2.24 ERA over the four games. They allowed just 10 runs over four games. They only allowed 18 hits over 25 innings. Caleb Galindo picked up a win in the first game, Nate Martinez and Nikayha Castro recorded victories.
“Our pitching was surprising,” Underwood said. “I didn’t know if we would be able to get through it with the arms we had. Guys like Caleb Galindo and Nikayha Castro stepped up. Alek Trukki had a great game.”
Cole Brincefield led the Coyotes at the plate, going 7-of-12 (.556) with five runs scored and a home run. Jonathan Ramirez and Kristian Gomez each batted .500 (6-of-12). Gomez added four runs with two doubles and four RBIs. Tommy Molina also batted .400 (6-of-15).
Madera 11, Chowchilla 0
The Coyotes, fresh off their last at-bat victory over Central earlier in the day, scored eight runs in the first innings for a mercy-rule victory to improve to 2-0 in the tournament Monday.
Nate Martinez, making his first varsity start, used the run support to toss a two-hitter over five innings with four strikeouts.
Twenty different Coyotes went to the plate. Four batters had two hits, led by Gomez, who had two doubles with two RBIs. Molina had two hits and a double while Isaiah Monge had two hits with two runs scored and a double. Brincefield also had two hits and scored two runs.
While the offense was humming on all cylinders, Martinez silenced the Chowchilla bats. He retired the first eight batters in a row and stranded four batters, three in scoring position.
His biggest threat from Chowchilla came in the seventh. Two walks and a balk put runners at second and third with one out. Martinez got a strikeout and a flyout to end the game.
Brincefield started off the scoring with a single up the middle in the first inning. Kristian Gomez followed with a double to right-center to drive in Brincefield from first.
Gomez came in to score on two wild pitches from Chowchilla’s Brenton Holt.
Molina started another rally with a double to left-center. Castro walked, but Sam Hass forced out Castro at second while Molina came in to score.
Ramirez reached on a bunt single to put runners at first and second. Monge doubled to right-center to drive in Hass and Ramirez for a 5-0 lead.
Aaron Benividez reached on catcher’s interference and Monge scored on a wild pitch to Cameron Hernandes. Benividez came in to score on a passed ball with Brincefield at the plate.
Brincefield walked and scored on Gomez’s second double of the inning for the 8-0 lead.
Madera added two more runs in the second inning. Castro led off with a single up the middle. He went to second on a passed ball and Ramirez was hit by a pitch. Another wild pitch put runners at second and third. Monge followed with a single up the middle to score Castro.
A Benividez walk and a Hernandes double drove in Monge for a 10-0 lead.
Madera closed the game with antoher run in the fourth. With one out, Oscar Mendez reached first on a dropped first strike. Molina singled him to second. Trukki was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Hass walked to force in Mendez for the 11-0 victory.
Buhach Colony 3, Madera 1
With a chance to go to the Fresno Easter Classic Championship game, the Madera Coyotes were kept off balance in a 3-1 loss Tuesday.
Trukki tossed his best game of the season, recording a complete game. He allowed six hits, but three runs and three walks hurt him.
Madera banged out six hits, but they were unable to string them together. Ramirez led the Coyotes with two hits.
Buhach scored a run in the first inning after a single, double and a sacrifice fly.
The Thunder extended its lead with a run in the fourth after a walk, stolen base, fly out and groundout.
Ramirez singled with one out in the second. He stole second, but was stranded after a strikeout and a flyout. Brincefield hit a one-out single in the third and went to second on a groundout, but was left stranded on a groundout.
In the fifth, Benividez reached on a dropped third strike and advanced to second on a groundout, but another groundout ended the inning.
Finally, Madera put a run on the board in the sixth. Gomez led off with a single up the middle. Molina grounded out and Gomez took second. Gomez went to third on another groundout. Hass hit a 1-2 pitch into the opposite field to drive in Gomez.
However, Hass was thrown out at third after Ramirez got a hit-and-run single to left.
Buhach added a run in the sixth with a two out, nobody on rally. A single and a double gave the Thunder their two-run lead back.
Madera was retired in order in the seventh to end any championship game hopes.
Madera 9, Foothill 4
The Coyotes closed the Fresno Easter Classic with a 9-4 victory Wednesday morning to finish with three wins in the tournament.
Nikayha Castro went the distance and allowed four runs, three earned, and didn’t strike out a batter.
The Coyotes banged out 13 hits. Ramirez led the Coyotes with three hits, a double and two runs scored with two RBIs. Brincefield, Gomez, Molina and Hass each had two hits.
Madera scored eight runs in the first two innings, but only added another run over the next five innings.
Brincefield led off the game with a single to right. He stole second and Gomez walked. After a flyout and strikeout, Brincefield stole third and scored on a Hass single to left-center.
Ramirez singled home Gomez for a 2-0 lead. Monge drew a walk to load the bases. Benividez singled to left to drive in Hass and Ramirez while Monge advanced to third. After Benividez stole second, Monge scored on a wild pitch for a 5-0 lead.
Brincefield, again, started a rally in the second with another single up the middle. Gomez reached on a bunt single while Brincefield advanced to third on a wild throw to first. Molina reached on an infield single to drive in Brincefield.
After a flyout, Hass singled to load the bases. Ramirez singled home Gomez and Monge forced out Ramirez at second while Molina scored for an 8-0 lead.
Castro retired the first five batters and was cruising into the fourth inning. A one-out single, error, single and error drove in the first two runs.
The Coyotes put a runner on base in the third, fourth in fifth innings, but couldn’t add to their lead until the sixth.
With two outs, Ramirez doubled down the left field line and scored on a Monge single up the middle for a 9-2 lead.
Foothill added two more runs in the sixth and put two on in the seventh before Castro got a forceout to end the game for a 9-4 victory.
