Vista Murrieta Baseball Team defeats Temecula Valley in Southwest League action – Press Enterprise
MURRIETA — The Vista Murrieta baseball team took advantage of free bases Tuesday afternoon.
The Temecula Valley pitching staff walked five, hit three batters and threw four wild pitches throughout the game. Vista Murrieta capitalized in the first and fourth sets and came away with a 9-4 win to take sole possession of the top spot in the South West League table.
Vista Murrieta had just six hits in the game, but the Broncos’ patience at the plate paid off.
“We had some great batting and we didn’t chase the balls in the area,” Vista Murrieta coach George Jones said. “I was very proud of them and really proud of how they reacted in that first run.”
Temecula Valley (12-7, 6-2 in the league) took the lead early in the first set, when Grant Yzermans led the game with a brace and then scored on a Chris Paciolla pitch.
In the first meeting between these schools, Temecula Valley had a 3-0 lead after the first set and took a 6-2 victory. On Tuesday, Vista Murrieta was able to mount an immediate response.
Ryland Duson led the bottom half of first with a double, and the Broncos (13-6, 7-1) had the bases loaded with no outs after a hit and a walk. Jerrad Gonzalez tied the score on a sacrifice fly, and Joe Guetterman gave Vista Murrieta a 2-1 lead on an RBI single with one out.
Another hit par pitch loaded the bases again, and Vista Murrieta scored his third run from the frame when DC Ruth drew a base-loaded walk. The Temecula Valley defense gave the Broncos two more points, as Guetterman scored on an errant takedown attempt and Jack Pedersen scored on a sloppy count.
“It was huge, putting the momentum back in our favor,” Jones said of the five-run inning.
Gonzalez helped Vista Murrieta extend the lead to 6-1 with an RBI single in the third inning.
“We wanted them (the Temecula Valley pitchers) to do most of the hard work today,” Gonzalez said. “We went up there looking for our shots to hit, and I think we did a great job today.”
Temecula Valley came back into the game in the top of the fourth inning. Zachary Anderson hit a solo home run to left field, and the Golden Bears scored another run on a Vista Murrieta error. Successful pressure from Erik Jeong helped Temecula Valley cut the deficit to 6-4.
Vista Murrieta responded right away, hitting late in the fourth and scoring three runs despite registering just two hits. Vaughn Necker scored a home run single in the first inning, and the Broncos added to their lead when Guetterman was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Luke Bennett walked with the bases loaded.
Vista Murrieta’s bullpen made sure the lead didn’t get away, as Colt Tucker, Hudson Castillo and Nathan Lee combined to pitch 3 2/3 scoreless innings.
“Our pitcher has been really strong this year, it’s no secret,” Jones said. “And we’re starting to swing the bats a little better.”
Yzermans went 3-for-4 to lead an eight-hit attack through Temecula Valley.
The teams will play the rubber game of the series Thursday afternoon in Temecula Valley.
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