YUCAIPA – The Yucaipa High baseball team on Thursday had a new coach, new sky-blue uniforms, and many new players. Otherwise, it was business as usual as the Thunderbirds defeated Citrus Valley 5-3.
“They’re a good team – they’re scrappy. They’re always going to play you to the bone,” Yucaipa first-year coach P.J. Jimenez said of Citrus Valley. “I told the guys they have to stay focused no matter what happens, and to out-hit them. The name of the game is score more runs.”
Yucaipa is the gold standard for area baseball. The Thunderbirds have won a league title 25 times since 1980. Jeff Stout, who coached the team for 41 years, went 809-348 and nabbed three section titles. Ralph Grajeda, Stout’s successor, went 132-57-1 and added another section crown.
Winning is second nature in Yucaipa.
Jimenez played for Stout in the early 2000s. He knows the drill.
“Defense is my specialty – I was a middle infielder,” said Jimenez who hit .388 at Liberty University as a senior.
Citrus Valley's Joey Luevano hits a single. (John Murphy)
Defense made a difference on Thursday as Citrus Valley committed two errors and Yucaipa made none.
One of those miscues came in the second inning when Yucaipa scored three runs.
Evan Heaton led off the inning for the Thunderbirds with a single. Jason Franco then bashed a long drive to center field that was misjudged and fell for a double, driving in a runner. Wyatt Miller followed with a single to put runners on first and second. A wild pitch moved both runners up. Following a strikeout, a dropped infield throw brought both runners home, giving the Thunderbirds a 3-1 lead.
“Errors killed us a lot,” said Citrus Valley’s Nathan Castillo whose two-run double in the fifth inning tied the game 3-3. “But we’ll clean that up and we’ll be good.”
Said Citrus Valley assistant coach Joey Caro, “This year we have some newer, inexperienced guys, and we’re trying to figure out where to put them.”
Caro is one of the assistants who has been helping to run the show for Citrus Valley (4-7, 0-1) with head coach Jon Austin -- who was in uniform Thursday but moving gingerly -- ailing with a bad back. Austin has just recently returned to work.
Citrus Valley players show off their vertical leap after scoring two fifth-inning runs. (Photo: John Murphy)
Yucaipa scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth after two outs. Singles by Stephen Grode and Damian Cordero preceded consecutive walks to put the Thunderbirds ahead 4-3.
Yucaipa added an unearned run in the sixth inning after a one-out infield error. A single by Landyn Von Kaenel and a walk to Logan Jackson loaded the bases. The insurance run came home on Cordero’s bloop single to left.
Von Kaenel pitched well in relief for Yucaipa (8-2, 2-0). He pitched two innings and allowed no hits or runs while striking out four and walking none.
“I was mostly thinking getting ahead – throw first-pitch strikes,” Von Kaenel said. “Get ahead with the curve ball and finish with the fastball.”
Caption: Matt Bline delivers a pitch for Citrus Valley. (Photo: John Murphy)
Grode, Heaton, Wyatt Miller, and Connor White led Yucaipa with two hits each.
Castillo had the big hit for Citrus Valley to drive in two runs.
“I had a two-strike approach, and I just hit the ball,” Castillo said. “It felt great. It tied the game up and was a good thing for the team.”
Yucaipa plays visiting Beaumont on Tuesday at 4 p.m. in another CBL game. Citrus Valley plays Douglas of Minden, Nevada today in a tournament game. The Blackhawks return to CBL play on Tuesday for a noon contest against visiting Redlands.
ARROWHEAD CHRISTIAN’S MAHONEY THROWS NO-HITTER
Arrowhead Christian lost senior star Ethin Bingaman during the off-season (he transferred to powerhouse Corona High), but the development has not crippled the Eagles.
Thursday ACA improved to 5-3 with a an 8-0 tournament victory against Lausanne Collegiate of Memphis, Tennessee. Senior Bobby Mahoney pitched a no-hitter for the Eagles, striking out 12 and walking two over seven innings.
ACA has won four consecutive games.
Diesel Toth led ACA at the plate with three hits and four runs batted in. Kai Miller had one hit and two RBI.
ACA plays the IMG Black team today as the tourney continues.
Bingaman, by the way, excelled on Thursday for Corona (7-0). He struck out nine and yielded one hit in five innings in the Panthers’ 5-0 victory against Norco. Corona has given up only one run all season.
REV TOPS REDLANDS
Redlands East Valley defeated rival Redlands 3-0 on Thursday in CBL play.
Cash Dabbs pitched six innings for REV, allowing one hit. He struck out nine and walked four.
Connor Towns and Alan Gibbons each had two hits for REV (6-5, 1-0), accounting for all the Wildcats’ hits.
Jayden Rose, Diego Uribe, and Nate Jimenez each had a hit for Redlands (6-4, 0-2).
A third-generation San Francisco native. His first job was in Watsonville, where he wrote stories on a typewriter and people smoked in the office. He's covered Redlands, San Bernardino and Riverside.
