Carlos Fairbanks and Humza Khurshid combined on a five hitter and Cate came up with several dazzling plays in the outfield in a 7-2 win over Moreno Valley Calvary Chapel in the first round of the CIF Division 7 baseball playoffs Friday at Cate.
Nic Pajouh collected two of Cate’s seven hits and scored twice.
The Rams (10-7) will play Amino Leadership in a second-round game on Tuesday.
Fairbanks allowed two hits and no runs and struck out six in four innings of work.
Khurshid finished the game to pick up the save. He gave up three hits and two runs, both coming in the sixth inning.
Leftfielder Dean Smith came up with a diving catch to keep Calvary Chapel from scoring more runs in the sixth.
Centerfielder Chris Oh also had a couple of web gems. He ran back to catch a ball hit over his head in the fifth and ran into the right-field gap to snag a flyball in the seventh.
Cate’s scored four runs in the second inning. Ryan Baird drove in a run and Benton Swain had a two-run single.
Zach Ell singled in Fairbanks in the third.
Pajouh drove in Matt Vasquez in the fifth, and Dylan Ell’s single home Pajouh.
