Baker Starts Better, Then Finishes Best

In the first few innings, Chris Baker was sharp. Halfway through the game he was dominating. By the end, he was virtually untouchable.

Baker went the distance to carry College of the Canyons to a 4-0 victory over Bakersfield in a Western State Conference South Division game Thursday that catapulted the Cougars into first place by the slightest margin.

The Cougars (11-11, 8-2 in division play) lead Bakersfield (16-7, 7-2) by a half-game in the division. It was the fifth consecutive victory for Canyons.

Baker (3-4), a freshman right-hander from Hart High, scattered seven singles, struck out five and walked one. He made only 94 pitches, allowed only two runners to reach second base and was helped by two double plays.

“I started thinking about the shutout around the sixth or seventh inning,” said Baker, who combined a fastball, a cut fastball and a curveball to register his second complete game in a row.

With the impressive outing, Baker avenged a 3-1 loss to the Renegades on March 9 at Bakersfield.

Sophomore right-hander Brian McDowell (2-1) matched Baker pitch for pitch until the sixth, when a two-out error led to four unearned runs. McDowell had yielded two hits--both singles--through 5 2/3 innings.

Then disaster struck.

With two out and nobody on, Kasey Canale hit a grounder to second baseman Ryan Howard but first baseman Michael Jennings dropped the throw.

McDowell walked Rick Nadeau and Jeff Brown reached on a infield hit to the hole at shortstop, loading the bases. Justin Bunch knocked in two runs with a single to left field and Lou Sanchez followed with a two-run double to right-center field.

Sanchez was two for three.

“They made one mistake and we made none,” said Len Mohney, Canyons’ coach.

Baker finished strong, striking out three in the last three innings and allowing only two balls to be hit out of the infield--a single by Matt Daisa in the eighth and a fly ball by Jennings in the ninth.

Daisa had three hits.

Not only did Baker dispose of the Renegades, he did it in a hurry. The game was over in 1 hour 50 minutes.

“It’s fun to win quick,” Mohney said. “But, hey, we have what, 16 games left? It’s not like we can hold a party.”