By Ron Smith
April 22, 2023
 
(SURPRISE, Ariz.) With a 16-1 win over OUAZ (15-28-1, 7-17-1), #11 Westmont Baseball (37-8, 20-4 GSAC) claimed the Golden State Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship. By taking all three games against OUAZ, the Warriors completed their seventh series sweep of the season - of which five are against conference teams.
 
"We knew the task at hand and held our own destiny in our hands," expressed Westmont's head coach Tyler LaTorre. "The guys knew what it took and there was not extra coaching or pressure. We just went out there and played our game. Our ability to continue to score runs and put pressure on their team allowed us to pitch our pitchers the way we wanted to do it and control the game from start to finish.
 
"It is a testament for our seniors who have done so much winning to get that outright championship, not something that they shared. It is something they will have for the rest of their lives. They have done a lot of winning over the course of their career, but now go out with a regular season championship.
 
"The guys responded well to adversity and responded well to having a bullseye on our back after going to the World Series last year. It's about these players and the hard work they have done to get to this point."
 
Chase Goddard earned his eighth win of the year against just one loss. The right-hander allowed just one run on three hits in five innings of work. He struck out one and walked one.
 
"Goddard did great," assessed LaTorre. "There was a lot of contact, but he trusted our defense. We have one of the top fielding percentages in the conference and Goddard has always trusted our defense with balls put in play. He did a good job mixing speeds and giving us five solid innings."
 
The Warrior's .975 fielding percentage is not only the best in the GSAC, but also ranks sixth in the NAIA.
 
Zach Yates relieved Goddard and pitched two scoreless innings allowing three hits while striking out three. He did not issue a walk.
 
Ryan Humphreys and Gabe Arteaga finished out the game, pitching the eighth and ninth respectively. Humphreys surrendered two walks and hit a batter, but he did not allow a run or a hit to preserve Westmont's 16-1 score. Arteaga allowed a hit but retired all other batters in a scoreless outing. Both relievers struck out one.
 
"It is hard for bullpen guys that are used to coaching in close games," noted LaTorre. "They lose a little focus when the game is out of hand. But when Yates, Humphrey's and Arteaga needed to make pitches, they did. I was happy with how we threw the weekend all weekend."
 
The Warriors got the scoring started in the second inning after Parker O'Neil led off with a single to center field and Liam Critchett sent a 1-2 pitch down the right field line, giving the Warriors runners at second and third. With two away, Trey Dunn worked an eight-pitch walk to load the bases. Then Robbie Haw stepped to the plate and delivered a two-RBI single to right, giving Westmont a 2-0 advantage.
 
The Warriors doubled their lead in the third inning that started with a ground-rule double by Ryan DeSaegher. The ball fell inside the left field foul line before bounding out of bounds. DeSaegher advanced to third on a bloop single by O'Neil to right field. Then, Shane Hofstadler powered a two-RBI double to left field, putting Westmont up 4-0.
 
The Spirit got on the board in the bottom of the third after Nicholas Lustig tripled to right center. Lustig scored on a sacrifice bunt by Andre Alvarado.
 
A lead-off triple by Haw down the right-field line in the top of the third set up Brady Renck for an RBI-single to right, giving Westmont a 5-1 lead. An infield single by DeSaegher moved Renck to third before a sacrifice bunt by McFeely moved the runners to second and third. O'Neil tallied an RBI when Renck scored on a ground out to second, then Critchett singled to right to drive in DeSaegher. That was before Hofstadler put the ball over the left-field fence for a two-run home run to make the score 9-1.
 
After a pitching change, Michael Soper singled to right field before Dunn and Haw walked, loading the bags with Warriors in road grays. Renck picked up his second RBI of the innings when he walked, making it a 10-1 game.
 
The Warriors added six more runs in the eighth inning to take a commanding 16-1 lead. Paul Mezurashi led off the inning as a pinch hitter and singled to right. That was followed with singles by Daniel Paterson and Renck inning to load the bases with one away.
 
DeSaegher added another RBI courtesy of a walk that scored Mezurashi. Then, Patterson scored when Luke Tillitt was hit by a pitch. A mishandled ball during Parker Zarbaugh's at bat resulted in Renck scoring and the bases remaining loaded. That's when David Martinez stepped up to the plate and pounded a three-RBI triple to the fence in right-center field.
 
La Torre was pleased with the team's offensive production in the three-game series. Their 19 hits today, including seven for extra bases, brought the three-game series total to 25 runs and 52 hits – 21 for extra bases.
 
"Over the last few weeks, we have made it a point of emphasis to focus on team at bats," reported LaTorre. "When players are focused on making sure they are giving your team at bats, the individual success will come. A lot of our guys have bought into an approach that has worked for us. It starts at the top with Robbie, Brady and DeSaegher. It is contagious. You want to do what your teammates are doing.
 
"One of the things I have said to them is to try and leave the situation better for the next batter – moving a guy over or getting yourself on base and putting more pressure on the pitcher. Leave it better for the next guy behind you."
 
Renck finished the season with a .406 batting average, the second best in program history and the highest since Ryan Eisele post an average of .433 in 1999. Renck went two for four today with two walks, two RBIs and a run scored. Yesterday, Renck set the Warrior career scoring record and today extended it to 160.
 
Next up for the Warriors will be participation in the GSAC Tournament, which will be conducted Monday-Thursday, May 1-4. The double-elimination tournament will be held at the stadium at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine. Westmont will be the number one seed followed in order by Hope International, Vanguard, The Master's, Arizona Christian and Jessup. First round games will be played on Monday with Westmont and Jessup matching up at a time to be determined.
 
"These guys have earned their spot in the postseason," asserted LaTorre. "Now, it is about continuing to get better and pursue the goal we had set out. Our first goal was winning the regular season championship. We have put ourselves into the postseason and are going to play meaningful games in May. Now, it is about taking everything we've learned over the course of this season and continuing to apply it.
 
"We need to continue to get healthy and get some rest. We also need to plan out our days to allow for our players to study for finals and the end of the school year."
 
First, however, the team will do some celebrating on the 461 mile ride back to campus.
 
"It's going to be a fun bus ride home," said LaTorre. "I'll tell you that."