Defense decided this Valley Oak League duel between first-place teams on Wednesday.
Manteca pitcher Tyler Graves-Kelso was backed by a stellar defensive effort, especially from sure-handed freshman shortstop Alex Gouveia, and he was spotted an early lead thanks to Weston Ranch errors in a 5-1 win for the host Buffaloes.
With Central Catholic losing to Sierra, Manteca (3-0 VOL, 11-4 overall) is now alone at the top of the standings.
Graves-Kelso needed just three strikeouts and 74 pitches for the complete-game victory. He scattered five hits, and the much-improved Cougars (2-1 VOL, 13-2 overall) didn’t score until the seventh when James Peavey drove in Josh Dilg with a single on the final play of the game. Larry Martinez was thrown out at third for the last out, with Gouveia gunning him down on the relay started by center fielder Ronaldo Tijero.
Gouveia was impressive throughout, as he was in on nine outs including all three in the top of the fifth when he had a highlight catch that robbed Peavey of a base hit. He also turned an unassisted double play an inning later.
“This year I’m able to pitch and know that I have a great defense behind me,” Graves-Kelso said. “Alex made about 10 of my outs, so props to him. He’s going to be a good ballplayer this year.”
Graves-Kelso certainly deserves a lot of credit after throwing 13 first-pitch strikes against 26 batters faced. He was able to work out of a jam in the first inning when he beaned C.J. Drain and gave up a two-out single to Jordan Severin (2 for 4). Early-season injuries have forced him to miss time on the mound, but he did not skip a beat in his fourth appearance.
“I knew they were coming out swinging, they’re a good Weston Ranch team and they can swing the bat really well,” Graves-Kelso said. “I was just trying to get a first-pitch strike and throw some off-speed pitches to get them out on their front foot.”
While Manteca played perfect defense, the offense made the Cougars pay for their miscues. Infield errors allowed Jake Menasco and Mitch Balmut to reach with no outs in the bottom of the first, and Tijero drove them both in with a triple down the first-base line. Kyle Rachels then knocked in Tijero with a fielder’s choice.
“You give them five outs in the first inning that’s going to happen, and to be honest we didn’t respond well,” Weston Ranch coach David Hager said. “Manteca, to their credit, took advantage of every (opportunity) they had. Their guys came ready to play a full seven. We came out ready for about three or four.”
Weston Ranch lefty Manuel Rubio did well to limit the damage all game. He and reliever Severin combined for a four-hitter but they also walked eight.
Manteca had runners on base in every inning but the third. Sam Rohovit widened the Buffaloes’ lead to 4-0 in the fourth with a sacrifice fly to bring home Brett Kovacs (singles), and he plated their final run in the sixth after Tijero drew a bases-loaded walk.
“That’s part of our deal. We’re trying to put pressure on them every inning and hopefully get them to break a couple times throughout the game,” Manteca coach Neil MacDannald said.
Weston Ranch will get its chance for revenge Friday on its diamond. The Cougars are off to their best start in program history and set a new record with every win, but Hager said his team is not satisfied.
“We still have a long season ahead of us,” he said. “We’ve got to take games like this and learn from it. We have to learn that we can play with the big boys in league; this is one of the best leagues in the area. The guys know they’re capable and they know they didn’t play their hearts out today.”
