Atwater senior silences high-scoring Buhach Colony offense in key CCC baseball showdown
Atwater senior Bo Valladao called it a “legacy game” for him and his fellow seniors.
Beating your crosstown rivals, under the lights in front of a big crown, is one of those games you’ll remember long after your high school playing days are over.
Valladao silenced a potent Buhach Colony lineup, pitching five scoreless innings as the Falcons earned a series split with the Thunder after a 4-1 victory on Friday night at Memorial Ballpark.
“It’s a huge win for us,” Valladao said. “We came in losing two in a row after winning six games in a row. Buhach Colony has a great team. They’re one of the best teams in the league. They’re the team to be so this was a legacy game for us, especially us seniors.”
Valladao gave up just one hit, but had to pitch around five walks. He struck out eight, which helped him escape some sticky situations, including stranding the bases loaded in the fifth inning.
“The kid just battles,” said Atwater coach Jarrod Pimentel, whose team improved to 8-3 overall and 2-2 in the Central California Conference.
The Thunder (10-3, 3-1 CCC) came in hot, winning five games in a row and scoring 57 runs during that streak, including an 11-1 win over the Falcons on Wednesday.
Valladao’s approach was simply to trust his stuff.
“I think my stuff is pretty good so I am just going to go after hitters,” he said. “Obviously some hitters you’re going to pitch backwards to, but I’m going to go at them..”
When he needed a big pitch he turned to his slider.
“That’s my pitch,” Valladao added. “It’s one of the best weapons I have. I don’t think anybody has hit it all year, I can throw it for strikes. I can throw it as a chase pitch. That’s my go-to pitch.”
Offensively, the Falcons gave Valladao an early two-run lead with two first-inning runs. Cole Hazel and KJ Ross delivering run-scoring singles during the first inning.
Hazel said he was ready to go after a bad first at-bat on Wednesday’s loss.
“It’s a mental thing,” Hazel said. “The first pitch I got was a curveball over my head so I knew I wasn’t going to see that pitch again. I sat dead red and I got it.”
Hazel also added an RBI single in the third inning and was able to score when the Thunder dropped the ball trying to throw out a runner stealing second base.
“As soon as I saw the ball on the ground and his back was turned, I was gone,” Hazel said. “It was a reaction play.”
With Valladao over 100 pitches after five innings, Pimentel had to turn to his bullpen to get the final six outs. Right-hander Garrett Sanchez and Emmanuel Macias were able to come through, pitching out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning after only giving up one run.
“Early in the year our bullpen was a little shaky,” Pitmentel said. “Now I have a couple guys that can come in and throw strikes . That was huge tonight.”
Atwater will travel to Golden Valley on Wednesday. Buhach Colony will host Ripon on Tuesday.
