IRVINE – Beckman’s baseball team moved back into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Coast League with a 3-0 victory over Woodbridge on Friday afternoon at Beckman.
Ninth-ranked Beckman (16-2, 6-1) came into the game tied for first place with Woodbridge (12-6, 5-2). The Warriors won Tuesday’s game with Beckman, 7-1.
Beckman bounced back Friday behind a strong pitching performance from Jack Wiese, who threw a three-hitter, striking out eight and walking two. Wiese (6-0) didn’t allow a runner to reach past first base after the first inning.
“It was a big win for us; we really wanted this win because we lost our first league game to them Tuesday,” said Wiese. “It gives us good momentum into our next week against Northwood. We played real well today and I like where we’re at.”
Beckman moved a game ahead of second-place Woodbridge.
“There were two good teams playing in a baseball game and sometimes it comes down to the little things,” said Beckman coach Kevin Lavalle. “We did what it took to win and we prepared for this with two days of practice … (Woodbridge pitcher) Zak Baayoun is pretty darn good, and we did everything that we’ve practiced for two days, and that’s the most rewarding thing as a coach.”
Baayoun (4-2) pitched into the fifth inning. He was relieved by Kyle Giberson, who finished out the game.
Tyler Geurts had an RBI single in the third inning, Jack Owens drove home a run with a double in the fourth inning and Connor Fidone singled and came around to score on a wild pitch in the fifth inning for Beckman’s runs.
Lead-off hitter Aharon Modlin led Woodbridge with two hits. The Warriors made three errors.
“They played better and we made some mistakes, I thought,” said Woodbridge coach Tim Murray. “And their pitcher executed.”
Contact the writer: tburt@ocregister.com
