Arroyo Grande tops Nipomo in playoff baseball. Find out other SLO County scores
Nipomo’s baseball team knew its first-round playoff matchup was going to be tough against its neighbor to the north in Arroyo Grande.
The Titans won 18 games this year, the most of in school history, according to Coach Samm Spears.
But when Nipomo starting senior pitcher Lukas Ward went down with a hamstring injury in the second inning. And with another reliable pitcher, Hunter Wooldridge, unavailable due to sickness, the challenge of taking on a strong Arroyo Grande team was too much.
Arroyo Grande (20-10) beat Nipomo (18-11) in a 12-1 game that got away from the Titans in the fourth inning when the Eagles exploded with a three-run home run by Josiah Cabreros, who sent a slider away sailing over the left field wall to make it 9-0.
The Eagles, seeded second in the CIF-Central Section Division 2 playoffs, erupted at the plate after Niko Ikenoyama laced a two-run single to right in the fourth to make it 5-0, and a string of hit batters and RBI hits kept on coming. Carter Shuck smashed an RBI triple to tack on another run in the fourth after Cabreros’ blast, en route to a nine-run inning.
Arroyo Grande’s Ty Scrudato also had a two-run home run to center in the second to give Arroyo Grande an early lead.
“Once one of our guys gets going, I feel like we’re hitting on all cylinders,” Cabreros said.
Strong pitching from AG starter
Eagles pitcher Marc Byrum threw 4 2/3 innings, limiting the Nipomo offense, which got its run in the fifth on a double to right by Wade Arkinson, which scored star senior Nate Reese, who walked and stole second.
Byrum, who will pitch at Cuesta next year, said he felt loose in warmups and was glad to pitch on a sunny day versus cold fog. He tops out at 85 miles per hour, but his fastball mostly hovers in the 83 mph range, he said.
“I was able to start locating my curveball later in the game and that’s when I started to sail through a little more,” Byrum said. “In the beginning, I wasn’t locating as well, but I got it down. ... It’s a hitter’s park. I know I can’t leave it in the middle with a 304-foot fence in right.”
Eagles catcher Ryan Tayman, a junior with seven home runs on the season, said that Byrum was solid as the team’s No. 1 starter.
“The biggest thing was playing loose, and once we got to the third inning or so, that’s when we started firing,” Tayman said. “Byrum always gives us a chance. He’s the ultimate competitor.”
Tayman, who has committed to play baseball at Cal Berkeley, said that his squad came out a little sluggish but started to pick it up as the game progressed.
“They have worked hard to get to this point,” said Eagles Coach Steve Tolley. “The bats have come alive. It was a solid win all the way around. We have some young players who hadn’t been in a playoff game yet, so now they have one under their belt and Thursday should be a little more comfortable.”
Tolley said that a 20-win total is a mark of a successful season, which the Eagles hit Tuesday.
“That’s always the goal,” Tolley said. “This is a very successful group. They were when they were younger and they continue to be.”
The Eagles will have another home game on Thursday versus Clovis (17-13) at 4:30 p.m.
As St. Joseph (11-18) upset No. 1 Kerman (28-1), the Eagles now are the highest seed remaining in Division 2.
Nipomo’s season comes to end
For the Titans and three-year varsity star Reese (.440 batting average), four-year varsity player Arkinson (.412 average), and Victor Garibay (.348), who became another team leader, it was the last ride.
“We’re one of the small schools in the division, but that’s how we wanted it,” Spears said of the tough opening matchup. “We won 11 of 12 and when we were 7-8 we set the goal of winning 18 games and going 18-10 (to end the regular season) and we did it. The younger players learned from a successful senior class in the classroom and on the field.”
Spears said that he was pleased with the toughness his team showed, even when down big in a game ended after five innings due to the 10-run rule.
He credited pitchers Angelo Juarez and Cole Gilson for battling until the end and “competing their butt off after not thinking they were going to throw.”
“They battled through every single day and I couldn’t be more proud,” Spears said. “This group will always be a part of us, forever and ever.”
Spears added: “I haven’t had a group that like this. Every single one of them liked each other and got along. Eleven seniors have gone through two years of COVID and trying to figure it out.”
Centerfielder Reese, a three-sport star (basketball and football) who plans to play baseball at Cuesta next year, said that he knew it was going to be a battle without two of their strongest arms on the mound.
“It sucks to end like this, but we had a great season,” Reese said. “We had a fun run. There’s nothing we could do about this one.”
Nipomo finished second in the Ocean League at 12-3 and Reese credited the coaches for getting the team ready to compete and helping him transition as a three-sport athlete.
“Coaches helped me through this all,” Reese said. “Being a three-sport athlete, it’s hard to jump right in. ...I like football the best, but baseball is the most fun.”
Other SLO County first round baseball scores
Division 2
Clovis North 2, San Luis Obispo 0
Clovis East 8, Templeton 3
Division 3
Morro Bay 5, El Diamante 1
Tulare West 4, Paso Robles 0
Division 4
Mission Prep 7, Hanford West 5
Atascadero 6, Arvin 4
This story was originally published May 18, 2022 at 12:33 AM.
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