Warriors baseball slides into playoffs

Carpinteria closes out regular season on four-game win streak

After falling to 8-8 and on the brink of missing the postseason, Carpinteria took control of its own destiny in the final stretch of the regular season with four straight wins to claim second place in the Citrus Coast League, securing a spot in the CIF Southern Section Playoffs this Friday.

After splitting a home and away series against Malibu, the Warriors prepared for a two-game showdown against Citrus Coast League leader and rival Santa Paula.

In the first game of the series at John Calderwood Field in Carpinteria, the Warriors kept playoff hopes alive with a decisive 10-3 win over the Cardinals.

Carpinteria took a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the game, and after Santa Paula responded with a single run in the third inning, the Warriors answered again with a five-run rally of their own, punctuated by a three-run home run from senior Erich Goebel.

Goebel finished with three hits, three RBIs and three runs in the win, while Beto Martinez, Gabe Martinez, Isaac Flores and Joaquin Ramirez had two hits apiece.

Junior ace Shane Goodmanson pitched the complete game on just 93 pitches and picked up his sixth win of the season thanks to the support of the focused Warriors defense around him.

“The Cardinals are well coached, big, powerful, skilled, three deep at every position, and take one of the most impressive pregame warmups that you will see in high school,” said Carpinteria coach Pat Cooney. “Today, the Warriors had enough grit, determination, luck and skill of their own to earn a much-needed win between the lines. It’s the beauty of baseball. Goli-

BY RYAN P. CRUZ • PHOTOS BY ROSANA SWING

ath does not always win.”

Three days later, the Warriors defeated the odds once again, as they hit the road to face the Cardinals in Santa Paula, and Carpinteria snuck away with another win in an extra-inning thriller.

This time it was Carpinteria freshman phenom Gabe Martinez on the mound for the Warriors, and the young pitcher proved himself against Santa Paula’s seasoned senior Bryce Zavala as the game turned into a pitcher’s duel tied up at 1-1 through eight innings.

In the top of the ninth inning, the Warriors broke through for a rally sparked by junior Beto Martinez and capped off with his younger brother, Gabe, who drove in all three runners to take the 4-1 lead.

The older Martinez brother then took over for his younger brother on the mound for the final frame, earning the save and sealing the win, 4-2.

“The team performed. Gabe was poised and up for the challenge, the defense flashed the leather behind him, and the hitters did just enough against the best two pitchers that we have faced this season,” Cooney said. “The result is great and the bump up to second place is also nice, but the best thing about the day is that we played our best game of the year against a great opponent for the second time in a row.”

With the win, the Warriors vaulted from fifth in the league last week to second place this week with an automatic berth in the CIF Division 6 playoffs.

Carpinteria still had one game remaining on the calendar, and the War- riors hosted Frontier League Champion Villanova Prep for the final game of the season.

It served as Senior Day for four Warriors – Goebel, Diego Nieves, Ricky Rodriguez and Matt Muñoz. Fittingly, several of the seniors had strong showings, with Muñoz tallying five hits, three runs, two RBI and a stolen base; Nieves going three for three with three runs, three RBI and two stolen bases; and

Goebel collecting two hits, two RBIs and two scores on the way to a dominant 14-1 victory for Carpinteria.

With the win, Carpinteria finished the regular season at 12-8 overall and 10-8 in the Citrus Coast League, and the Warriors will start the playoffs with a first-round matchup on the road against Desert Christian (15-3-1) this Friday in Lancaster.

Softball seniors, from left: Brenda Lemus, Giordan Garcia, Lesly Tinajero, Sofie Olvera, Yarely Vivero, Renata Martinez and Natalie Vilchez