College Baseball : Top-Ranked Canyons Polishes Off Valley, 6-1, Behind Halcovich

Word around the Mountain Valley Conference earlier this week was that only Valley College will give Canyons a battle for the conference baseball championship.

Saturday, bats spoke louder than words as Canyons, propelled by a pair of two-run homers by Chris Cota and Don Erickson, put a shine on its No. 1 state ranking by polishing off Valley, 6-1, in a game played at Canyons.

While Cougars fans searched in vain for shade, pitcher Frank Halcovich was throwing six-hit heat at Valley, stopping a four-game Monarchs winning streak. Halcovich, who was last season’s conference and state tournament MVP, is 5-0.

Canyons, which is undefeated in conference, has a two-game lead on Valley only five games into the Mountain Valley schedule. Although Canyons won the conference last season on its way to the state final, Valley beat the Cougars in three of five games.

“Valley is the team to beat,” Halcovich said. “But I think that as long as we play our game the only way we can lose is if we beat ourselves.”

If Canyons (5-0, 14-2) keeps playing the way it has, perhaps the only way it’s going to lose is if it doesn’t show up. The Cougars, who extended their winning streak to eight, have homered seven times in their last three games.

“The one thing we thought we could do,” Valley Coach Scott Muckey said, “was stay with them in hitting the ball out of the yard.”

Valley (3-2, 12-6) had six hits, including Howard Halen’s double that scored Chris Haslock in the fifth inning. Drew Ricker, who gave up eight hits while throwing five strikeouts, was the losing pitcher. Ricker, a freshman left-hander, is 4-2.

“I really don’t think he pitched that well,” Muckey said. “He was gutsy and he hung in there but he just wasn’t on today.”

Canyons scored first in the second inning on a single by Cota that brought Victor Sotelo around from second base. Cota, who bats ninth, scored twice and had three runs batted in to go with his single and home run. Erickson, who was 2 for 2, homered in the eighth, scoring Cota.

“They did a good job of hitting the ball,” Muckey said. “But the whole story was Halcovich.”

Canyons Coach Mike Gillespie praised Halcovich’s performance even after it looked as though Halcovich was tiring in the late innings.

“Valley would have had to string a few more things together before I would have pulled Frank,” Gillespie said.

Said Halcovich: “I wasn’t tired. I felt great. I thought that I could have gone a few more innings.”

Said Gillespie: “He’s probably lying.”

After Canyons plays in the Allan Hancock tournament over spring break, it plays Valley again. That gives Valley a chance to throw Ricker at Canyons again.

“Why not?,” Muckey said. “That’s probably what they’re going to do with Halcovich.”

Said Gillespie: “I don’t relish the idea of facing Ricker again.”

Cal State Northridge 7-1, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 0-2--The Matadors split a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. double header at San Luis Obispo Saturday to keep their record at .500 (10-10, 3-3 in conference).

Jeremy Hernandez (4-3) recorded his third straight shutout in the first game. Hernandez, a sophomore from Poly High, pitched a complete game, allowing three hits, striking out 11 and walking none.

The Matadors scored four runs on five hits in the sixth inning of the opener. John Balfanz (1 for 2) highlighted the inning with a solo home run, his eighth of the season and his fourth in the last three games. Catcher Scott McIntyre added a two-run double.

In the second game, the Matadors managed only three hits. Shortstop Gary Williams was 2 for 4 and right fielder Jim Vatcher was 1 for 3.

Catcher John Orton hit a two-out, two-run home run off Northridge’s Dan Gonzalez (1-4) in the second inning as San Luis Obispo evened its conference record at 1-1. Gonzalez allowed only four hits in the seven-inning contest.

The Masters 4-10, George Fox 2-9--The Mustangs, 3-11 overall three weeks ago, made it seven wins in their last eight games Saturday with victories in both ends of a non-conference double header played in Newhall.

George Fox of Portland, Ore., visiting the Southland for Spring Break, dropped its fourth game of the week.

Terry Sloan (2-3) pitched a complete game in the first game for The Master’s (10-12), allowing four hits and striking out four to go with three walks. Center fielder Tony Dello was 2 for 3 with a run batted in and one run scored.

First baseman Tony DeMare hit a three-run home run in the second game as the Mustangs built a 7-4 lead, but a George Fox rally tied it at 8-8 in the seventh to force extra innings.

After George Fox (2-6) took a 9-8 lead in the top of the eighth, The Master’s came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Sloan’s sacrifice fly drove in Tony Dello (2 for 5) for the winning run.

Moorpark 11, Allan Hancock 3--First baseman Eric Fischer went 4 for 4 with four runs batted in and two runs scored to lead the Raiders to an easy Western State Conference victory Saturday in Santa Maria.

Moorpark (7-6, 3-2 in conference) also got three hits and three runs scored from Joey Shoen, and pinch-hitter Tim Nelson belted a three-run home run in the ninth inning. The Raiders amassed 12 hits in the game, and had only one error.

Tim Nelson (1-2) worked six and one-third innings in relief to record the victory. He allowed six hits and struck out five.

Allan Hancock’s record dropped to 8-4 overall, 3-2 in conference.