Broncos drop second to Avenal, but pitcher Marthaler keeps them close

Following Coast Union’s 11-0 loss against Bakersfield’s Arvin Bears on March 22 in the San Joaquin Valley, the Bears traveled to Coast Union the next day, March 23, for the second in their back-to-back baseball games against the Broncos.

Head coach Brian Machado went with Magnus Marthaler on the mound, a 5-foot-8, 120-pound freshman who had one previous start this season and — notwithstanding Coast’s 7-5 loss — Machado said his young hurler “did okay” in his first complete game.

Marthaler gave up runs in the second, third and fourth innings, but kept the game close by shutting the Bears out the rest of the way with his off-speed pitches and curveballs.

Giving his freshmen pitchers — including Beau Burges, who pitched against Taft on March 16 — a chance to get some experience in nonleague games should bode well for Machado’s club when the Coast Valley League schedule begins April 7 with a home game against Valley Christian Academy.

“Yes, the freshmen are our key; we need them to play well,” Machado remarked.

On March 23, besides Marthaler, two other freshmen turned in strong play — including David May’s long, running catch in deep left field and a fine catch in deep right field by Burgess.

Senior slugger Lane Sutherland — who leads the team in batting average (.448), on-base percentage (.529), slugging percentage (.517), hits (13) and stolen bases (11 in 11 tries), engaged in his usual derring-do on the basepaths against Arvin at home.

His slides are usually headfirst, stirring up a cloud of dust, and when he’s in a rundown — as he was against the Bears on March 23 — he somehow manages to escape.

Sophomore Will Stephenson, known for making contact with the ball, is hitting .348 and has a single error; sophomore Riley Kennedy has nine hits, is batting .281 and playing solid defense at second base with only one error.

The next home game for Coast Union is April 7 against Valley Christian Academy at 3:30 p.m. For those unable to attend, the game will be broadcast on KTEA-FM (103.5) and streamed live on www.ktea-fm.com.

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Broncos drop second to Avenal, but pitcher Marthaler keeps them close."