The Ripon Christian Knights’ winning streak moved to four games Thursday afternoon with a 16-4, five-inning blowout win over the Orestimba Warriors.
“We start to play really good baseball right around this time every single year,” Knights coach John DeVisser said. “We have a young team that has steadily been improving throughout league play, and I think we’re finally rounding in to form at just the right time.”
Ripon Christian (4-5, 10-9 overall) started league play losing five straight games, finding itself at the bottom of the Trans Valley League. Then something clicked. Going back to their first league win on April 2, the Knights have now outscored opponents 43-7 in a four-game winning streak including series sweeps over rival Ripon and now Orestimba.
“You can just see these kids taking better at-bats,” DeVisser said. “Pair that together with a guy hitting over .500 in league play, and it was only a matter of time before we started scoring runs.”
The offensive standout over the four-game winning streak for the Knights has been catcher Maxx Anderson, who followed up a 3-for-4 performance against Orestimba in Game 1 by getting on base all four plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with a double, two runs scored, and six runs batted in. Anderson’s double in the second inning cleared the bases and broke the game open for the Knights during what would wind up being a nine-run second inning.
“The ball looks really big right now” Anderson said about his performance over the last four games. “I am just trying to go up there with a good approach and hit the ball hard somewhere.”
Eight different Knights recorded hits in the game, with production coming from up and down the lineup that resulted in multiple runs scored in every inning. Senior shortstop Josh Crivello also reached base all four times in the game going 3-for-3 with a run scored and three runs batted in. Starting pitcher Jordan Luisi recorded a hit and two RBIs to help his cause, while Stadtler Postma, Tyler Wadlow, and Noah DeBruyn had two hits each.
Luisi held Warriors’ hitters in check for the majority of the game from the mound, scattering five hits and allowing three earned runs over five innings.
“Jordan was really good today, especially if you consider he hasn’t pitched in 12 days,” DeVisser said. “Got himself in some trouble with command in the one inning, but he battled through it and we have to be happy with his performance today.”
The Knights will continue their push for a playoff berth with a series next week against Sonora, before finishing the season with rain date makeup at Hilmar. Ripon Christian must finish in the top eight of Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII rankings to earn an at-large bid in the postseason.
“The message going into these last three is the same it has been since day 1,” DeVisser said. “Continue to get better continue to take good approaches and play good defense, and we should put ourselves in a good spot to get in.”
