By Ron Smith
April 6, 2024
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Bryan Peck pitched a gem to help #20 Westmont Baseball (24-9-3, 15-2-1 PacWest) capture game one of a doubleheader with the Sunbirds of Fresno Pacific (17-15, 8-10) at Russ Carr Field. The Warriors won by a score of 5-1, before the Sunbirds claimed the second game 3-1.
 
Peck produced a masterful performance, retiring 15 batters in a row and striking out eight to earn the win and improve to 7-1 on the year. The junior right-hander from Palmdale pitched six and two-third innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out eight and walking two.
 
After retiring lead-off batter Trent Mallonee on a groundout to second in the top of the first, Peck walked Gabe Henderson. He then induced Andrew Valdez into tapping a ball back to the mound. Peck fielded the ball, threw to shortstop Colin Callahan at second, and watched as Callahan relayed the ball to Liam Critchett at first for an inning-ending double play.
 
That was the first of 15 batters in a row retired by Peck. The Sunbirds did not have another baserunner until there were two outs in the sixth inning when Justin Tiger singled up the middle to record Fresno Pacific's first hit of the game. Peck responded by fielding a dribbler down the third base line and firing over to first to retire the batter.
 
Peck had been working with a 2-0 lead since the beginning of the first inning. With one away, Jack Bollengier singled to right field, then advanced to second when Bryce McFeely was walked. Michael Soper reached on a fielder's choice that saw McFeely retired at second while Bollengier took third.
 
Then with two away, Finn Snyder hit a ground ball up the middle that could not be fielded cleanly by the Sunbirds' middle infielders. The base hit resulted in Bollengier scoring and Soper reaching third with some heads-up baserunning. Soper's extra effort was rewarded when a balk was called, allowing him to score the second run of the inning.
 
Snyder added another run to Westmont's total in the bottom of the sixth. The Warriors' designated hitter placed a blooper just inside the right field line that eluded the diving efforts of the Sunbirds' right fielder before rolling into the corner. Snyder sprinted around second and reached third without an attempt to throw him out.
 
With Liam Critchett at the plate, Sunbirds' catcher Turner Pruitt found himself crossed up on a pitch and running after the ball that got away toward his right. Snyder dashed for home as Pruitt retrieved the ball and attempted to tag the Warrior runner out. However, Snyder's head-first slide beat Pruitt to the plate, giving Westmont a 3-0 lead.
 
Fresno Pacific put a run up in the top of the seventh to make it a 3-1 game. Henderson led off with a single to left, followed by a walk to Valdez. A flyout to center by Donte Valdez allowed Henderson to reach third. Tommy Rover then connected for a sharply hit ground ball to first that Critchett, who was playing near the bag to hold the runner on at first, was able to knock down. Critchett retrieved the ball and fed it to Peck who covered first on the play, recording the second out. However, Henderson scored on the play.
 
That was the 100th pitch by Peck and Westmont's head coach Tyler LaTorre decided he had done enough for the Warriors. Joey Rico replaced Peck on the mound and promptly struck out Shane Pursell on a 3-2 count to end the ending. Rico finished out the game to earn his second save of the year. The freshman pitched two and one-third scoreless innings, giving up just one hit, striking out four and walking one.
 
Westmont added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh to complete the scoring. With one away, Andrew Guidara drove a ball over the right field fence so deep that the right fielder could do nothing but turn and watch it fly over the batting cage.
 
With two outs in the inning, Daniel Patterson, Bollengier and McFeely received successive walks to load the bases. Patterson scored when Soper was hit in the back with the first pitch he saw, earning an RBI the hard way.
 
In the second game Ryan Humphreys took the mound for the Warriors and turned in five solid innings. He gave up two runs on seven hits, struck out five and did not issue a walk. However, Humphreys did not receive the run support he needed and fell to 4-1 on the season.
 
Westmont was held to just six hits and did not score until the bottom of the fifth. Dunn led off the inning and drove a 1-2 pitch over the right center field fence, bouncing it off the scoreboard. As a result, the Warriors pulled to within one run (2-1). However, that would be the end of the Warriors' scoring.
 
The Sunbirds and Warriors will continue the four-game series by traveling to the San Joaquin Valley for a Monday doubleheader at the Fresno Pacific Diamond on Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.