MODESTO – After starting off the championship round of the District 67 Juniors championship with a 17-run mercy rule loss to Weston Ranch on Friday, Northgate bounced back in the nightcap with a 15-6 win to claim the championship banner on Modesto Christian’s Matthew Bledsoe Field.

“Our kids were able to regroup and forget what happened in the first game,” Northgate coach Brian Aufdenkamp said. “They came out in the second game and played the game we could play.”

Jaxson Eseed took the mound for Northgate in the fifth inning with one out and pitched the next 2.2 innings, shutting down Weston Ranch the rest of the way.

“I couldn’t be prouder of Jaxson,” Aufdenkamp. “He did a great job.

“After the first game he had nerves of steel to pitch the way that he did.”

Northgate put up seven runs in the second inning with Danny Olaguibel (three RBI, double, two runs) blasting a bases-clearing double, scoring Aldo Soto (RBI, two runs), Jacob Qualle (two runs) and Joey Souza (two runs). Izaias Rodriguez (two runs) came in on a Connor West fielder’s choice, Soto drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Eseed and Andres Duque (three RBI) singled in Olaguibel.

Northgate’s Aden Aufdenkamp went 2 for 4 with two RBI with Kaden Silva scoring two runs.

Elias Lopez (run) and Joseph Renteria went 2 for 3 for Weston Ranch and Noah Noonkester belted an RBI double.

Weston Ranch 18, Northgate 1 (4)

Northgate averted the shutout in the mercy-rule loss with back-to-back singles by Olaguibel and Duque in the top of the fourth inning, with Duque knocking in Olaguibel.

Northgate had just two more baserunners when Duque reached on an error in the first inning and Eseed legged out an infield single in the third.

Weston Ranch was shut out in the first inning but got 18 runs over the next two on just six hits while taking advantage of two Northgate errors, nine walks and four hit batters.