Merced’s Moniz blanks Buhach Colony in CCC baseball

It doesn’t take a million-dollar arm to be a successful pitcher. Radar guns don’t have to light up after every pitch.

Exhibit A: Merced High School’s Kyle Moniz.

Fastball command, the ability to keep hitters off balance with a change-up and breaking ball and a brisk pace was Moniz’s recipe for success Tuesday, as the senior right-hander kept the Buhach Colony bats in check with a four-hit shutout as Merced opened a three-game series against the Thunder with a 5-0 win at Buhach Colony.

“We worked fast and threw strikes,” said Merced coach Justin Parle, whose team improved to 11-5 overall and 3-1 in the Central California Conference. “He keeps our defense on their toes. When he gets in that good rhythm, our defense is pretty good.”

The Thunder (6-10, 3-1) came into the series after scoring 38 runs in a three-game sweep of Golden Valley last week. Buhach Colony only had one runner advance past first base against Moniz.

“They’re guy had good stuff,” Thunder coach Greg Wakefield said. “He mixed it up, and we didn’t make good adjustments.”

Moniz recorded just three strikeouts, but he pitched to contact, inducing 12 ground-ball outs. The Bears’ defense also turned two double plays behind him, with third baseman Tanner Pellissier starting a 5-4-3 double play to end the second inning and right fielder Ulonzo Gilliam making a diving catch to rob Christian Witt of a hit in the fourth inning and then doubling off the runner at first base.

Moniz needed just 67 pitches to record all 21 outs.

“I was able to control my fastball and then finish them off with my breaking ball and off-speed pitch,” Moniz said. “When I’m pitching well, I’m able to control all three of my pitches and keep hitters off balance.”

The Bears got production up and down their lineup, as they cranked out 11 hits.

Merced started the third inning by drawing back-to-back walks off Buhach Colony starter Mike Casso. Josh May then hit a liner that was dropped at third base, but Alex Kendrick was able to get the out at second to leave Merced runners at the corners.

Brent Brewer (3 for 4) followed with an RBI single to give Merced a 1-0 lead. The Bears added a second run on an error.

“You can’t afford to do that against any team, especially a good team,” Wakefield said. “And Merced is a good team. He hasn’t been able to get over the hump against good teams the last couple years. We’re hoping that changes this year. We’ve got to play our best baseball against good teams.”

Merced generated two more runs in the fifth after Casso retired the first two hitters. The Bears connected on four consecutive hits with Trevor Phillips driving in May and Brewer with a two-run single to double the Bears’ lead to 4-0. Phillips went 2 for 4 with three RBIs.

Merced scored in the sixth on a wild pitch.

Parle was happy with the contributions he got across the board, from clutch at-bats to flawless defense to Moniz’s performance on the mound.

“This series is just as big as last week (against Pitman),” Moniz said. “Every conference game is big, and we need to get every win we can get. This was a big one for our team.”

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 9:46 PM with the headline "Merced’s Moniz blanks Buhach Colony in CCC baseball."