Bishop Diego starting pitcher RJ Cordeiro delivers to the plate on Tuesday against Carpinteria. (Presidio Sports Photos)
RJ Cordeiro, Scott Mandrell and Nolan Tooley held Carpinteria hitless on Tuesday, leading Bishop Diego to a 6-0 non-league rivalry victory over the Warriors.
On a pre-determined innings limit, starter Cordeiro pitched four innings and retired the final 11 batters he faced. Mandrell came on to pitch a scoreless fifth and sixth innings before Tooley entered in the seventh.
“They were throwing strikes and keeping the ball down,” said Cardinals head coach Dan Yokubaitus about his pitchers’ effectiveness.
Freshman Sal Delgado started on the mound for the Warriors.
The no-hitter didn’t mean it was all smooth sailing for the Cardinals pitchers, who walked six batters. The Warriors stranded two baserunners in two different innings, including second and third in the top of the fifth.
“Realistically when they needed to throw strikes they battled back into some counts and got out of the jams that they were in,” Yokubaitis said.
“They threw a heck of a lot of strikes and their defense played very well behind them, and we probably didn’t apply enough pressure,” said Warriors head coach Pat Cooney, whose team came in having won six of its last seven games. “It’s three different guys but they all did virtually the same thing. They all pounded the strike zone and made it tough on our batters.”
The Cardinals played error-free baseball.
“As a team, that was one of our better defensive games,” Yokubaitis said.
The Warriors didn’t allow an earned run until Bishop Diego’s two-run fifth inning. Freshman starting pitcher Sal Delgado ate up three innings and was replaced on the mound by another freshman, David Martinez.
“They seem to make progress every time so they’re further and further away from being freshmen each time they head out there,” Cooney said.
The freshmen duo combined to lead the Warriors (7-6, 2-0) to victory in their Frontier League opener last week.
“This is a different kind of pressure. The last one was ‘let’s see what’s it like to play in a league game.’ This time it’s ‘let’s see what’s it’s like to play in a Bishop game,” Cooney said. “They’re making nice progress.”
Matt Shotwell was 2-for-2 at the plate with three RBI for Bishop Diego. Mandrell was 2-for-4 with three stolen bases and Tooley gave the Cardinals an early lead with a two-run single in the first inning. Tooley tried to extend the hit to a double but was thrown out. Aidan Williams also had a pair of hits.
Bishop Diego improves to 6-10, 1-5.
The two teams play again on Thursday at John Calderwood Field in Carpinteria.
BISHOP DIEGO 6, CARPINTERIA 0
Carpinteria 000 000 0 – 0 0 3
Bishop Diego 202 020 x – 6 10 0C – Delgado, Martinez (4), Sanchez (6), and Stein. BD – Cordeiro, Mandrell (5), Tooley (7), and Atelian.
