Santa Paula Batters Santa Clara to Move Into 1st

Santa Paula High has moved into first place in the Frontier League baseball standings--with a bullet.

The Cardinals defeated visiting Santa Clara, 10-3, Friday to dump the Saints into second place with three games remaining.

Santa Paula has made up 2 1/2 games since Monday by banging out 42 hits and 38 runs in three games. The Cardinals beat Santa Clara, 12-1, Monday and Nordhoff, 16-4, Tuesday.

On Friday, Santa Paula’s Joseph Jauregui, Eddie Rabago, Danny Alcantar and Rene Jimenez each had two hits. The Cardinals scored in every inning but the first and sixth, and Jauregui’s two-run double capped a four-run second inning that sent Santa Paula on its way.

“I’d like to enjoy this moment, at least for the weekend,” Santa Paula Coach Henry Jacinto said. “But it’s back to serious business on Tuesday.”

Santa Paula (11-9, 7-2 in league play) holds a half-game lead over Santa Clara (11-4-1, 6-2-1). The Cardinals will play host to Fillmore (11-3-1, 5-2-1) on Tuesday in what will be their fifth home game in a row.

“We are hitting the ball well right now,” Jimenez said. “It just happens to be coming together at home.”

On Friday, Santa Paula continued its trend of key two-out hits:

-- In the second inning, Joe Aguilar led off with a walk and, after a sacrifice and a popout, he was at second with two out. A walk, two singles and a double later, Santa Paula led, 4-0.

-- In the third, Efrain Munoz singled with two out to drive in Rabago, who had led off with a double, to make the score 5-0.

There were times when a two-out hit was not necessary; in a four-run fourth, five of the first six batters reached base.

Santa Clara, meanwhile, continued to struggle at the plate. The Saints had four hits Monday and seven in a 3-3, 13-inning tie against Fillmore on Tuesday. Against Santa Paula’s Brian Whittaker (2-1) and Alcantar, they had five.

“We just haven’t been hitting,” Santa Clara first baseman Darron Nowak said.

“If we came out of this week with two wins, it would have wrapped up the league, pretty much. Instead we lost two and tied one and are looking up at Santa Paula.”