Poly fails to convert run-scoring opportunities, North prevails

Entering the top-half of the seventh inning, Riverside Poly found themselves trailing by three runs in their Inland Valley League match up with Riverside North. The Bears would fight to load the bases and bring the go-ahead run to the plate with two out in that final half-inning.

However, Poly’s efforts would bear no fruit as senior closer Jesse Woods came into the contest and retired Bears sophomore right fielder Nathan Aderme on a weak ground out to first to end the game. With Woods’ save, North picked up the 6-3 victory over Poly in front of their home crowd Monday afternoon.

The Bears loaded the bases in the first, fifth, and seventh innings, but managed to push across only one run over those three occasions. Poly found no success at the plate with the bases loaded during the contest, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts as a team offensively in those scenarios. In total, Poly (6-9, 3-2 in Inland Valley League) would leave 13 runners stranded on base, whereas North only left five runners on base in the game.

Huskies starter Andrew Quintero was the winning pitcher in the contest, finishing the day with 4 1/3 innings pitched, five strikeouts, and only one earned run allowed. While Quintero allowed only one hit in the outing, he was erratic throughout, surrendering six walks and hitting three batters. Quintero was forced to work himself out of several jams in the early innings before handing the ball off to sophomore pitcher Michael Martinez in the top-half of the fifth inning in relief.

Junior Dylan McDowell stood as the losing pitcher in the contest, giving up five runs on six hits over five innings of work.

“[McDowell’s] our lead guy. He’s a ‘pitch-to-contact’ type of pitcher and we just need to make plays behind him,” said Poly Manager Gary Voelker. “We made some mistakes in the outfield today which would come back to hurt us.”

North’s junior shortstop and University of Arizona commit, Shane Martinez, went two for three on the day with a double and two runs batted in, leading the Huskies’ (9-7, 4-1 in IVL) offensive charge.

“A win is a win. I’ll take it any way we can get it. [The victory] is a good start to our week, we have a double-header on Wednesday and have got to get after it,” Martinez said. “I felt like I was in the zone today and right now I just feel locked in at the plate.”

Martinez’s fellow junior teammates were a force at the plate and accounted for five of North’s six runs in the contest. Outfielder Manny Galvan was a catalyst for the North offense, going one for two with three runs scored and a run batted in. Catcher Andrew Jurado would also go one for two while driving in two runs and, on the defensive side, gunning down two potential Poly base stealers. Second baseman Christian Koss finished the contest two for four with a triple and two runs scored.

“[The juniors] are confident and know they can get it done on the field. It’s up to the coaching staff to keep them grounded and working hard every day,” said North Manager Steve Madril. “There is no doubt that they are a special group of players.”