Carpinteria finished the baseball regular season on a strong note, beating Frontier League champion Malibu 3-1 on Senior Day at John Calderwood Field. The win secured second place for the Warriors.
All the scoring took place in the first inning. Down 1-0, the Warriors responded as Duncan Gordon hit a two-run single, scoring Anthony Rodriguez and Marcus Hutchinson. David Olvera brought in Derrick Moore for the third run on a ground out.
Marcus Hutchinson notched the win on the mound with his best pitching performance of the year, said coach Pat Cooney. After the first inning, no Sharks got beyond second base as he scattered five hits through the game and walked no one while striking out five.
“Marcus really kept the hitters off balance,” coach Pat Cooney said. “At the same time, his pace and efficiency kept our defenders ready. All of our players stepped up and it was great to see the seniors have success in key roles. Some of them hung around a little bit at the end soaking in the closure of the regular season. No matter what happens in the post season, this team can be really proud.”
Carpinteria handed Malibu (23-4, 13-2) two of its four losses this season.
“They are a really good team that is playing with a lot of good energy. The win today will only boost the confidence of our club as we head into the playoffs,” said Cooney.
Max Damron and Anthony Rodriguez each had two hits for Carpinteria (12-10, 10-5)
