SHORT STOPS

BY RYAN P. CRUZ • PHOTOS BY ROSANA SWING

Carpinteria wins back-to-back in baseball

The Warriors have hit their stride on the baseball diamond, with the boys grabbing back-to-back wins over league rivals Hueneme and Malibu this week to improve to a 3-1 record in the Citrus Cast League.

After the recent rains forced Carpinteria to cancel a game against Villanova Prep the previous week, the Warriors got back into the swing of things with two home games, starting with an extra-inning thriller against Hueneme.

Both teams were scoreless until the top of the sixth inning, when Hueneme broke the game open with a three-run burst. In the bottom of the sixth, the Warriors responded with a three-run rally of their own to tie the game up 3-3.

In extra innings, Hueneme threatened to score with runners reaching third in both the seventh and eighth innings, but Carpinteria was able to snuff the rally and seal the win when senior Matt Muñoz drew a bases loaded walk in the ninth, bringing in junior Joaquin Ramirez for the game winning run and a final score of 4-3.

Juniors Shane Goodmanson and Beto Martinez pitched through the first eight innings, before freshman Gabe Martinez was brought in for the win in the final inning. Together, the pitching staff gave up five hits with five strikeouts and three walks.

“The players did a great job surviving some early season mistakes,” said Carpinteria coach Pat Cooney. “Our pitchers set the tone of confidence and gave the offense a chance to scrap for a few runs. We’re only three games into the season and still finding our collective identity.”

The next day, Carpinteria hosted a strong Malibu squad, with the Warriors building on their momentum with another league win, 3-1.

Martinez got the start against the Sharks and gave up only one earned run in the second win of his career. Only a freshman, Martinez has already become an emerging star on the mound and in the batter’s box, where he finished with two hits.

The Warriors finished with eight hits in the win, with Ramirez bringing in two RBI’s off two hits and junior Talon Trumble securing the win with a solo home run deep into the right field palm trees in the bottom of the fifth inning.

“There were some big plays and big hits in this game, but it really came down to the battery,” Cooney said, referring to the pitcher and catcher duo of Martinez and Nieves and the rest of the defensive core. “There is a great deal of trust between them already. The pace of play was so fast that the defense stayed on their toes and made some terrific plays.”

Carpinteria is now 3-1 overall, with games this week against Santa Paula and Bishop Diego.

Warriors boys tennis splits non-league matches

Carpinteria boys tennis split its two matches this week, with a win in a windy match against St. Bonaventure and a loss against a deep Simi Valley squad.

Against St. Bonaventure, the Warriors fought through what coach Charles Bryant described as “hurricane-like winds” to hold on for the 11-7 win.

“This was close all the way through, and I was very impressed with both teams and how they handled the conditions,” Bryant said. “It definitely was not easy and made for some incredible points and also some comical points. But really, both teams did a great job of adjusting overall and on the fly as the ball was never where it was intended to go.”

Junior Max Stone led the Warriors with an undefeated performance in singles, while sophomore Lucas Martin added another crucial win in singles play.

Doubles partners Troy Zimmerman and Asher Pampel teamed up to go undefeated, including a come-from behind win in a set where the duo recovered from a 3-5 deficit.

The next day, Carpinteria hosted Simi Valley under calmer conditions, but the Warriors struggled to keep up with the Pioneers’ deep roster and Simi Valley held on for the 15-3 win.

Stone was the bright spot for the Warriors, with another three-set sweep in singles play.

“We played well and smart at times but need to be much more stable for us to succeed,” Bruant said.

Carpinteria is now 2-1 overall, with a road match this week against Malibu.

Carpinteria track & field hosts Rincon Races

The storm forced Carpinteria to reschedule its annual Rincon Races event, but after a week delay the meet was held last Saturday in perfect weather at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium.

Carpinteria hosted three other teams for the event, with athletes from Fillmore, Foothill Tech and Orcutt Academy participating in the meet.

Foothill Tech finished with the highest team score in both the boys and girls divisions, with the Warriors claiming second in the girls and fourth in the boys.

The Warriors had some impressive performances from this year’s squad, with sophomore Averi Alexander setting a new personal record with a leap of 32’8.25’’ in the triple jump. Alexander earned first place in the triple jump, and second in the long jump with a distance of 14’8.5’’.

Newly appointed team captain Ariana Lounsbury, who has already competed for the Warriors’ tennis and soccer teams in her senior year, won the discus with a toss of 81’11’’ and finished second in the shot put with a throw of 24’.

Ruby Cluderay won the 400 meters with a time of 1:08.16; Belen Herrera took first in the 800 meters with a time of 2:58.01; and the girls 4x100 relay team ran a season best time of 54.27.

In the hurdles, senior Erick Trejo ran his first hurdle race of his career and won the boys event with a time of 20.33, and junior Lela Roberts finished a close second in the girls race by three-hundreds of a second.

“The team showed nice progress from last Wednesday’s opener,” said Carpinteria coach Van Latham. “With many newcomers on the team, it is important that we gain valuable experience before we open with league competition.”

Carpinteria will host Hueneme for a league meet on Thursday.

Warriors hoopers earn All-League honors

Several Carpinteria boys basketball were included in the 2023 Citrus Coast League All Star nominations, with star senior and leading scorer Kainoa Glasgow earning a spot on the First Team All-League squad.

Glasgow earned the highest honors, while the future is bright for the Warriors with sophomore forward Sebastian Campuzano and sophomore guard Sawyer Kelly earning a place on the Second Team. The Warriors had a deep backcourt this season, with three more guards earning honorable mentions: senior Rodolfo Jimenez, junior Mario Serrano and sophomore Carlos Suarez.

Carpinteria will host its annual boys basketball awards banquet this Saturday.