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With Christmas approaching several high school baseball teams are trying to get some games in before shutting it down for the holidays.
Yesterday, Ayala (Chino Hills, CA) took to the road to face Esperanza (Anaheim, CA). The Bulldogs won 3-2 in a game called by darkness.
Playing without three starters who were meeting with college coaches, Ayala used strong pitching performances from Erik Cha (So.) and Pete Beattie (Jr.) who combined to strike out five in four scoreless innings.
"Cha is phenomenal", said Ayala Head Coach Christopher Vogt. "He's going to be a big time guy when all is said and done".
Cha comes into the season with huge expectations after having a big summer and lighting it up in showcases. He seems to have all the confidence he needs and his coach sees it too.
"He's our ace this year" said Vogt.
Offensively the Bulldogs were led by senior Mikey Ortega who finished the day 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Sophomore Tim Nelson chipped in two hits and scored a pair of runs.
Vogt did mention that Esperanza started a Freshman pitcher who stood over 6'3" and sat mid-80's. A message has been left for Coach Curran to find out who that guy is. If you know, please let me know.
Updated:
AsEsperanza assistant coach Marcus Jones and Baseball America's Nathan Rode have confirmed, the freshman in question above is Kenneth Pettibone. He is cousin to Jonathan who is with the Phillies organization and Austin who is currently a sophomore at UCSB.