San Carlos wins first two games at Nor Cal Juniors tournament

San Carlos banged out 17 hits Sunday in support of starting pitcher Luke Robinson’s 2 2/3 inning victory. This a day after right-hander Logan Mathias earned a complete-game victory in a five-inning mercy-rule win with San Carlos totaling just nine hits.

“The boys, their bats came alive today,” Magner said via telephone after Sunday’s win. “[Saturday] there was a lot of walks … and we took advantage when we could.”

Leadoff hitter Clayton Magner continues to serve as a sturdy table setter, reaching base seven times through two games, going 3 for 6 with four walks. He scored in the first inning of both games.

“He’s kind of like Rickey Henderson,” Steve Magner said. “Once he’s on first base, they know he’s going to steal, and they still can’t stop it. … It’s a nice weapon to have because we always know he’s going to score first.”

San Carlos played as the away team in both games, posting a three-run first inning Saturday and a six-run first inning Sunday.

“It makes the other team chase you after that, after you score first,” Steve Magner said. “It’s always a good psychological thing to have in your arsenal when you score first.”

While the confines at Recreation Park boast some major league proportions — straightaway center field measures at 400 feet — San Carlos hasn’t hit any home runs. But the middle of the order made plenty of loud contact Sunday. Mathias was 3 for 5 with two RBIs; Rocco Loskutoff was 3 for 4 with an RBI; and Robinson, Reid Cole and Aidan Armando each tallied two hits. Armando paced the squad with three RBIs.

“All those kids can frickin’ hit the ball,” Steve Magner said. “We’ve got a lot of good hitters on this team.”

Mathias has served as San Carlos’ regular catcher this summer, but he has yet to get in the squat during the Nor Cal tournament. After he pitched a CG Saturday, he patrolled left field and first base Sunday.

Armando has handled all the catching duties in Healdsburg and juggled a five-headed monster Sunday. After Robinson departed in the third, San Carlos utilized four bullpen arms. Clayton Magner worked two innings, Loskutoff faced one batter and issued a walk, Tyler Castricone worked 1 2/3 innings and Derek Hymer closed it out with two-thirds innings of work.

Next up for San Carlos is Tuesday’s winners’ bracket semifinal against Porterville. First-pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.

“They’ve got some big kids that can mash the ball,” Magner said. “So, we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

The winner advances to Thursday’s championship round in the seven-team Nor Cal tourney — the final tournament of the Juniors All-Stars season in 2021. The Juniors traditionally play two more tournaments, the West Zone tourney and the Junior World Series, but both were canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.