The Olton Mustangs’ varsity baseball team swept the season series with Hale Center on Tuesday with a, 24-4, home victory over the Owls.
With the win, the Mustangs improve to 2-0 in district play.
Olton Pitcher, Logan Lassiter, got Hale Center’s lead off man to strike out swinging; he was thrown out at first on a dropped third strike for out number one. Seth Shaver chopped out to Lassiter on the mound for out number two, but Cesar singled up the middle and the next batter drew a walk, before Lassiter got Austin Moore to ground out to Fabian Gutierrez at second base to retire the side.
Brody Langford singled down the third-base line to lead off the bottom of the first inning for the Mustangs and Lassiter ripped a stand up triple over the head of the center fielder to put Olton in front, 1-0. Adolfo Garcia hit an RBI single up the middle to make the score, 2-0, and Cole Montgomery drew a walk to put runners on first and second for the Mustangs.
The runners advnaced on a past ball, before Paul Lopez roped a two-Rbi double through the left side to make the score, 4-0. Lopez took third on a past ball, before Alan Vasquez knocked him in with a single over third to extend their lead to, 5-0. Gutierrez drew a walk and Jacob Marquez was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Cesar relieved Moore on the mound for Hale Center and got Eric Valencia to strike out looking for out number one. Langford ripped a two- RBI single to left field and took second on a bad throw home by Shaver, pushing their lead to, 70. Lassiter followed it up with a two-RBI double to the right-center field gap to extend their lead to, 9-0, but Garcia laid down a swinging bunt on the first-base line that was fielded by Cesar, who went home to prevent the run, as Jaxon Tomsu was tagged out for out number two.
Montgomery was hit by a pitch, but Lopez was thrown out at first on a dropped third strike to end the inning.
The Mustangs made quick work of the Owls in the top of the second inning, as the leadoff man struck out looking and Jordan Salazar flew out to Marquez in right field for out number two. The next batter singled on an error by Montgomery at shortstop, but the following batter grounded out to Lassiter on the mound to retire the side.
Vasquez was thrown out at first on a dropped third strike to begin the bottom half of the inning for Olton, but Gutierrez was hit by a pitch and Marquez reached base on a pop up that dropped behind the mound, moving Gutierrez to third. Valencia drew a walk to load the bases and Gutierrez scored on a past ball to make the score, 100, as the other runners moved up 90-feet.
Langford followed it up with an RBI-double on an error by the third baseman, and Lassiter kept the rally going with an RBIsingle through the left side to stretch their lead to, 12-0. Garcia hit a short hopper to third and was thrown out at first as Langford scored on the throw to first and Tomsu advanced to second on the play with the score, 13-0. The inning would come to an end, as Montgomery flew out to Moore in left field to end the inning.
Lassiter and the Olton defense kept the Owls quiet in the top of the third inning, and in the bottom half of the side, Lopez was hit by a pitch to lead things off, and Vasquez singled to left- center field, as Victor Reyes came on as the pinch runner. The runners advanced 90feet on a past ball, before Gutierrez struck out swinging for out number one.
Another pitching change took place for the Owls, as they got Marquez to strike out swinging for out number two. Nathan Urbina popped up to Moore in foul territory in left field to end the inning.
The Owls got a lead-off single in the top of the fourth inning, before Salazar was hit by a pitch. The next batter hit an RBIdouble that bounced over Marquez on the diving attempt in right field to trim the lead to, 13-1. The Owls drew a walk to load the bases before Fernando hit a sacrifice fly to Valencia in center field that allowed the runner to tag up and score from third, but the Mustangs were able to double up the runner at third to give them two outs with the score cut to, 13-2.
Shaver singled through the right side, but Cesar hit a grounder up the middle that was stopped on a sliding stop by Montgomery, who got the force at second to retire the side.
Langford led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a single through the left side, taking second on a bad throw in from Moore in left field. Lassiter follwoed it up with a single to center field and he took second on a pitch, before Garcia hit a two-RBI single to shortstop, on a throwing error by Fernando, making the score, 15-2.
Montgomery double to left field on a dropped ball by Moore and Lopez singled on a high pop up that was dropped by Fernando at shortstop, allowing a run to score, making the score, 16-2. Reyes hit an RBI-triple to left-center field, but Lopez was thrown out a thome for out number one, as the Mustangs extended their lead to, 17-2. Tomsu popped up to Moore in left field, but the ball was dropped for RBI-double; he was able to take third on the throw in to the infield, as they pushed their lead to, 18-2.
Marquez bunted into a fielder’s choice to the pitcher, who went home with the ball to get Tomsu out at the plate for out number two. Urbina singled through the left side, moving Marquez to third to put runners on the corners for the Mustangs and Langford walked to load the bases for Olton.
Lassiter ripped a two- RBI single that fell inside the foul line behind first base and Garcia followed it up with a two-RBI double to right center field to extend the lead to, 22-2. Montgomery singled on an error by Ben Diaz at third base, moving Osvaldo Rodriguez to third on the play. Montgomery took second on a pitch, before Lopez ripped a two-RBI double into left- center field, making the score, 24-2.
Reyes would ground out to Diaz at third to retire the side.
The Owls were able to scratch two runs across in the top of the fifth, but the Mustangs slammed the door, taking the contest, 244.
Lassiter pitched four innings for the Mustangs giving up just two runs and four walks, while earning two strike outs in the contest. Langford pitched one inning for Olton, giving up two runs and one walk, while earning one strike out. The Mustangs