The bad news for the Orestimba High baseball program is that they got swept by Hughson last week. The silver lining is that not many other teams this season, including those in the Trans-Valley League, have found much success against the Huskies, either.
The Warriors were outscored 41-0 by the Huskies between their two, five-inning games on Wednesday and Friday, and dropped to 0-4 against conference opponents and to 2-15 overall.
Hughson, meanwhile, continued their defense of the TVL title by improving to 6-0 against league foes and to 14-2 overall.
Orestimba mustered just three hits over the week.
In Wednesday's opener at home, an 18-0 loss, the lone knock came courtesy of senior catcher Kevin Moreno. Warrior pitching surrendered a combined 16 hits and four walks, though only six of the runs given up were earned.
Friday brought a 23-0 loss on the road, with singles coming from Moreno again and from junior shortstop Jaden Sotelo. The Huskies nabbed 16 hits and worked 13 walks, with 14 of the runs surrendered being earned. Sotelo pitched the final two innings and held the Huskies scoreless while striking out a pair.
One of the Huskies with a hit on Friday was junior Lawson Aviles, but it was the loudest of them all. With the bases loaded and a 5-0 lead despite it still being the first inning, Aviles lifted a fly ball into the neighboring softball field in deep right field. It was his second grand slam in as many days, as he had hit a game-tying one the day prior in a makeup league game against Ripon.
“It feels amazing just being basically that new guy on the team, just having that impact that I can have by staying positive and just being a team player no matter what,” said Aviles, who moved to Hughson and transferred from Pitman last year, and has returned to baseball after a year away.
The Warriors played a non-league contest against Mendota on Monday, and will continue TVL play against another contender in Hilmar, who are 2-1 against conference opponents and 10-2 overall. They will visit the Yellowjackets on Wednesday before playing host on Friday, with both games slated for 4 p.m.
