Dos Palos High baseball, softball teams advance to Central Section semifinals
Kanoa Ruiz pitched a complete game and Peyton Van Worth delivered the key hit as the Dos Palos High School baseball team defeated Mt. Whitney 3-2 in the second round of the Central Section Division III playoffs on Friday at Dos Palos.
The No. 2-seeded Broncos (25-2) have only had a handful of tight games this season as they have pounded their opponents, outscoring them 297-59 this spring. Dos Palos has scored 10 or more runs 16 times.
So the pressure was on Ruiz to protect a 3-2 lead and the senior delivered, improving to 7-1 this season with a 1.69 ERA. Ruiz went seven innings, scattering seven hits and two walks while giving up two runs and striking out three batters.
Trailing 2-0, Dos Palos scored all three of its runs in the bottom of the third inning. The big hit was a two-run triple by Van Worth.
The Broncos were held to just three hits with Van Worth collecting two of them. Hernan Hernandez recorded the other hit and scored a run.
Dos Palos advances to the semifinals on Tuesday when the Broncos will host No. 6 Dinuba at 4:30 p.m. Dinuba defeated No. 14 Independence 8-7 on Friday.
Softball: Dos Palos makes long trip pay off
Breann Raney collected two hits and three RBIs to lead the No. 12-seeded Dos Palos past No. 4 Bishop Union 8-2 on Thursday.
The Broncos endured the longest trip in the Central Section, nearly 400 miles one way to Bishop southeast of Yosemite National Park thanks to the seasonal closure of Tioga Pass. The alternative route is through Bakersfield skirting the southern Sierra.
Dos Palos (12-8) will face No. 1 Woodlake (23-3) in the Central Section Division V semifinals on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
Kiley Lish added two hits and two runs for Dos Palos. Raney went the distance in the circle, surrendering two runs on four hits and striking out seven.
This story was originally published May 19, 2023 at 8:45 PM.
