Pointers win Scripps Ranch series, seek further improvement

The Pointer baseball team, mired in a lengthy slump, rebounded to nearly double its season win total in the last two weeks.

In their three-game series against league rival Scripps Ranch, the Pointers took two games, raising their Western League record to 3-5-1 (8-15-1 overall) leap-frogging the Falcons (3-6, 9-14) for fourth place in the five-team circuit.

In the first game against Scripps, the host Pointers stroked nine hits, one of them being a special game-winner. Junior catcher Nick Garcia, who would have been the starter, continues to rehab an arm injury that has left him unable to throw all season. Finally cleared to bat, Garcia stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the sixth inning and his team down 1-0. His hard-hit double down the third-base line cleared the bases, the 3 RBIs sending his team to a 4-1 win.

After Pointer pitchers surrendered 12 hits in a 5-4 loss on the Falcons’ turf, the series returned to David Wells Field.

This time a first-inning single by Drake Cobb that plated Jordan Otjen was the difference in a 1-0 win. Duke Ekstrom threw six innings, striking out 13 and allowing just two hits before Bubba Nunez struck out two of the three batters he faced in the final frame for the save.

Pointer junior Nick Garcia drives a bases-loaded double in the sixth inning of his team’s game against Scripps Ranch. His hit drove in three runs, wiping out a 1-0 Falcon lead and sending the Pointers to a 4-1 win. SCOTT HOPKINS/PENINSULA BEACON

Earlier in the prestigious Boras Tournament in Orange County, the Dogs pulled off a 1-0 win over Mater Dei of Santa Ana. Later they played well before losing 6-5 to highly ranked Huntington Beach. But they failed to score in two other games, losing 5-0 and 2-0 to Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) and La Mirada respectively.

The final series of the season next week pits the Pointers against league-leading Madison. Games Monday and Friday are at David Wells Field while Wednesday’s game is at Madison. First pitch for all games is 4 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Pointer JV (head coach Barret Frost) has built an amazing record, sitting at 21-2-1 as they awaited a weak Madison JV in their season’s final series. The team is hitting .324 overall and has a .447 on-base percentage. They have hit 14 home runs, led by Eli Montgomery and Kian Barker with four each while six others have hit one each. Montgomery leads the team with a .447 batting average while Noah Tenbrook is right behind at .427.