Castro Steps Off Mound and Is a Hit for Anaheim

A sore back kept Danny Castro off the mound last week, but after his performance at the plate for the Anaheim High School baseball team, he couldn’t be blamed for wanting to stay off the mound.

Castro, The Times’ Athlete of the Week, had 10 singles in 14 at-bats, raising his batting average from .255 to .418, and drove in eight runs to help Anaheim win the championship of the Anaheim Lions baseball tournament.

In the championship game against Fullerton Wednesday, Castro, a left-handed batter, had a bloop single that drove in two runs in the fourth inning to give the Colonists a 6-0 lead en route to a 9-4 victory.

“Luckily for me they were falling in,” Castro said. “I had a couple of bloopers that dropped. I guess it was my week.”

Spring break and the respite from Anaheim’s Orange League schedule gave Castro the chance to rest his back and concentrate on hitting.

“Maybe that helped,” he said, then jokingly added: “Maybe I shouldn’t pitch anymore then.”

But Anaheim Coach Dave Torres disagrees. “I think he’s a little more relaxed at the plate when he’s not pitching,” said Torres.

Castro, a right-hander, is 4-0 with a 1.75 earned-run average and is one of three starters Anaheim depends on to defend its league championship. The Colonists (7-6-1, 4-2-1 in league) are in second place, a half-game behind Magnolia.

Castro isn’t a hard thrower and if he continues playing baseball after high school, it probably will be as a first baseman, his position when he isn’t pitching, Torres said.

TOP PERFORMERS

Andy Beisel pitched a one-hitter, striking out nine, and Sonora defeated Riordan, 2-1, in the first round of the Anaheim Lions tournament Monday.

Colby French hit a three-run double in the fifth inning to break a 4-4 tie and Estancia beat El Modena, 7-4, in the championship game of the Pride of the Coast tournament Wednesday. French was four for 11 with eight RBIs in the tournament.

Jeff Hale pitched a five-hitter and Fountain Valley defeated Fresno Bullard, 4-0, Monday. Hale pitched two shutout innings on Tuesday to pick up a save in a 2-1 victory over Chatsworth in the Far West tournament.

Jason Schade pitched a no-hitter and El Modena beat Leuzinger, 2-0, in a semifinal game of the Pride of the Coast tournament Tuesday. Schade, a senior right-hander, hit the first two batters he faced.

Danny Castro

Anaheim High School

* Position: First baseman/pitcher

* Height, Weight, Class: 6-3, 175, Senior

* Last Week: Castro was 10 for 14 in four games, had eight RBIs and was the most valuable player in the Anaheim Lions tournament.

* Season: Castro is batting .418 and is 4-0 with a 1.75 earned-run average.