Toros defend title with win

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune

Torres’ Trey Garcia gets congratulations from head coach Bryan Rubalcaba after his fourth inning run-scoring triple in Friday’s 10-8 playoff victory over Lindsay.

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The Matilda Torres Toros baseball team took the first step to defend its 2025 Div. VI Central Section championship with a 10-8 victory over the Lindsay Cardinals in the first-round of the playoffs at Torres.

The sixth-seeded Toros jumped out to a 10-4 lead, but things got hairy when the 11th-seeded Cardinals scored three in the sixth and one in the seventh. 

Solomon Ruiz closed out the game for the save. He closed out the final 1 1/3 innings with a run on two hits and a walk. 

Kevin Osuna allowed three runs in the first inning before Jose Velazquez settled things down. He allowed just one run on two hits over 4 2/3 innings to pick up the win. 

Trey Garcia led the nine-hit attack with three hits, including a triple, and drove in two. Alex Meza and Alonzo Del Toro each had two hits. 

The top four hitters in the line-up — Austin Meza, Garcia, Del Toro and Alex Meza — combined to go 8-of-16 with seven runs scored and six RBIs. Garcia hit a triple and Del Toro hit a double. 

Lindsay took advantage of Osuna’s wildness in the first inning. Osuna walked four of the five batters he faced. He threw just five strikes in 18 pitches. 

The first two Lindsay batters walked, and stole a base. A sacrifice fly scored a run. Then, Osuna walked the next two batters on eight pitches to load the bases, and a balk allowed another run to score.

Velazquez came in, and recorded a strikeout for the second out. He allowed a run-scoring single to the next batter. However, the batter was promptly picked off of first by Velazquez. 

Velazquez held Lindsay scoreless through the fifth inning. 

The Toros came through in the bottom of the second. Matt Escoto reached when the right fielder dropped his fly ball. Chris Capelluti walked. After a strikeout, Osuna walked to load the bases. 

Austin Meza hit a 2-2 pitch into left field to drive in Escoto and Capelluti to cut the lead to one. 

The Toros took the lead in the third. Del Toro led off with a single up the middle. Alex Meza followed with a bloop single to right. Escoto singled up the middle to load the bases. 

After a strikeout, Del Toro scored on a wild pitch to Capelluti. Then, Capelluti flied out to center, and Meza scored the go-ahead run. 

Torres added to its lead in the fourth. With one out, Austin Meza reached on an error, and stole second. Garcia hit a fly ball over the right fielder’s head for a run-scoring triple. 

Del Toro drew a walk and Alex Meza singled up the middle to drive in Garcia. 

Escoto forced out Meza at second, but the throw to first for the double play was wild, and Del Toro scored with Escoto taking second for a 7-3 lead. Warden reached on an error, and Capelluti walked to load the bases, but a strike out ended the inning. 

Lindsay added a run in the fifth with a lead-off single, hit by pitch, walk and a sacrifice fly. 

The Toros answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Osuna led off the inning with a four-pitch walk. Austin Meza walked to put two on. 

Garcia singled to right to drive in Osuna. The throw to the plate was wild, and Meza scored with Garcia advancing all the way to third. 

After Del Toro walked, Alex Meza grounded out, but Garcia scored for a 10-3 lead. 

Capelluti came in the sixth to close the door and looked to be cruising with strikeouts to the first two batters. He allowed an infield single to the No. 9 batter. 

Then, the next four batters reached base with a pair of walks and two singles to score three runs, and cut the lead to 10-7. 

Ruiz came in relief, and got a fly out to end the inning. 

As with Capelluti, Ruiz retired the first two batters he faced in the seventh. But a single and a walk to the No. 9 batter started a rally. 

Lindsay followed with a single to score a run. However, Lindsay tried to go first-to-third. Although Osuna’s throw to the plate was late for the first run, Del Toro took the throw and fired to Velazquez (who went to third when Capelluti relieved him) at third. Velazquez put the tag on the incoming runner for the final out of the game for a 10-8 victory.