The Santa Rosa Junior College baseball team [2-1] shutout De Anza College behind the arm of their sophomore left hander Matt Estes Feb. 2 at Cook Sypher Field.
Estes retired the first five De Anza batters of the game before allowing a second inning, two out double to Alex Roque. De Anza’s Drew Tressen followed with a ground ball base hit to left field. SRJC left fielder Mitch West prevented the tying run from scoring with a quick throw into the infield. The Bear Cubs held their 1-0 lead when Estes forced a pop out by De Anza’s Devon Canty.
With two outs in the first inning Bear Cubs Alex Kuhns drew a full count walk. A balk by De Anza starter Lorenzo Gomez put Kuhns in scoring position. Cleanup hitter Anthony Bender drove in the Bear Cubs first run with a single to right field.
Bender came through again in the bottom of the third inning with a line drive to center field on a 2-0 pitch for his second R.B.I. of the game.
“I was sitting on the fastball,” Bender said. “I got ahead in the count, saw the fastball was coming, and made sure to put a good swing on it.”
Later in the third inning, with two outs, Matt Bone fouled off four straight 2-2 pitches before driving the ninth pitch of the at-bat to right field for the first of his two R.B.I.’s and giving the Bear Cubs a 3-0 lead.
De Anza trailed 4-0 entering the top of the sixth inning.
A walk and two singles by De Anza batters loaded the bases with one out. Estes’ first pitch to the next batter resulted in a ground ball to second baseman Matt Kimura who turned the inning ending double play, and essentially killed any chance De Anza had to get back in the game.
Only three batters reached base against Estes in the first five innings. He finished the game with four hits and two walks allowed in his six innings pitched.
“Estes did awesome,” said SRJC catcher Charlie Magana. “He located real well. He was in the zone.”
Evan Hill, pitched in both the Bear Cubs wins this season. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three batters in three innings.
“Something comes over Hill and he becomes a machine on the mound,” the freshman Magana said. “He’s deceptive.”
SRJC hosts College of the Redwoods at 2 p.m. Feb. 4, and at 11 a.m. Feb 5.
