BLAZER BASH: Anthony Guzman dazzles in pitching debut for Rancho

Anthony Guzman has made a name for himself in the Class 4A Sunrise League this baseball season as a top-of-the-lineup hitter and everyday center fielder for Rancho.

After Monday’s game, the junior might have another distinction on the horizon.

In his first pitching outing of the season, Guzman struck out four in three innings of relief to help the Rams secure a 6-4 victory over San Pedro (California) in the Blazer Spring Bash at Shadow Ridge High.

“Gave him a chance and he did well,” Rancho coach Manny Llamas said. “That was something special for him.”

Guzman entered in the bottom of the fifth inning with runners on second and third base and no outs. He quickly got two flyouts before striking out David Carlton to thwart what could have been a disastrous moment for the Rams.

San Pedro ended up tying the game 4-4 on a sacrifice fly in the inning, but Rancho’s Layton Walls drove in Jimmy Gamboa with a sacrifice fly of his own in the sixth for the go-ahead run. Gamboa led off the inning with a triple off the right-center field wall.

“We just stuck to our approach and tried to hit the ball the other way,” Llamas said. “We had some really good at-bats. It was pretty much, ‘Put the ball in play and see what happens.’ ”

With a one-run cushion, Guzman cruised the rest of the way. He allowed two hits and walked none to earn the win.

“I’ve just been asking (coach) for the opportunity,” Guzman said. “Just for the chance. He put me out there, and I executed for myself, my family and my teammates. … Every inning (my teammates) just kept telling me, ‘Go out there and do it one more time.’ And I was like, ‘All right, I got you.”

Edarian Williams’ fielder’s choice drove in Matthew Baughn for an insurance run in the seventh. Williams finished 1-for-3 with a triple, a run and three RBIs to lead Rancho (12-3), which scored single runs in each of the last three innings.

Isaiah Bumgarner and Kai Kaneshiro each hit a double for San Pedro (10-8), and teammates Joshua Duarte and Martiliano Fernandez went 2-for-4.

Rancho 4, Rancho Dominguez (Calif.) 1 — At Cimarron, Gabriel Dorantes and Anthony Munoz combined on a five-hitter with 10 strikeouts in the Rams’ win over the Lobos.

Dorantes gave up one earned run over 4⅔ innings to earn the win, and Munoz struck out seven in relief.

Williams tripled, and Joey Walls, David Arambula and Braeden Hedge each hit a double for Rancho, which led 3-1 after two innings.

Arbor View 3, Faith Lutheran 0 — At Centennial, Brennan Holligan fired a two-hitter as the Aggies beat the Crusaders.

Talon LeBaron drove in all three runs for Arbor View. He had a two-run homer in the top of the first, and added a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

DeAngelo Smith went 2-for-4 with a run, and Joe Fitzhugh was 2-for-4 for the Aggies.

Palo Verde 10, Centennial (Calif.) 9 — At Durango, Jaret Godman doubled home Wesley Cosby with two outs in the bottom of the sixth as the Panthers rallied to beat the Golden Hawks in six innings.

The Panthers took a 9-6 lead with five runs in the fifth, highlighted by Asher Bouldin’s grand slam. But Centennial rallied for three runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game.

Godman went 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs.

Palo Verde 8, SLAM Academy (Fla.) 3 — At Durango, Godman pitched four shutout innings and hit a two-run home run to lead the Panthers to a six-inning victory.

Godman allowed five hits and struck out five with no walks. His homer highlighted a five-run first inning.

Kristian Garcia was 3-for-3 with an RBI, and E.J. Arnold went 2-for-2 with two runs for Palo Verde.

Cimarron-Memorial 8, Rancho Dominguez (Calif.) 1 — At Cimarron, Cody Koslowski allowed an unearned run on two hits in six innings to lead the Spartans over the Lobos.

Koslowski struck out six and walked one.

Daniel Valdivia went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run and three RBIs for Ciamrron.

Noah Parker and Seth Hoffman each went 2-for-4, and Trevor Doyle drove in two runs for the Spartans.

Cimarron-Memorial 7, Verdugo Hills (Calif.) 0 — At Cimarron, Parker and Hoffman combined on a two-hitter as the Spartans beat the Dons.

Parker gave up one hit in 4⅔ innings to get the win. He struck out three with two walks.

Parker was 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs, and Hoffman was 1-for-2 with a solo home run.

Zach Culver went 2-for-2 with a run for Cimarron.

Durango 4, Banning (Calif.) 2 — At Durango, Richard Mascarenas was 2-for-3 with a run, and Josh Barry went 2-for-3 with an RBI as the Trailblazers beat the Pilots in six innings.

Spencer Clemens went the distance to get the win. He allowed two unearned runs on six hits.

Sierra Vista 8, Independence (Calif.) 5 — At Sierra Vista, Cooper Kitrell was 2-for-2 with a double, a triple, two RBIs and three runs to lead the Mountain Lions to the five-inning win.

Matt Vanderberg was 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI, and teammate Cody Culpepper went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI for Sierra Vista.

Daymien Yohner went the distance, allowing two earned runs on five hits, to get the win. He struck out eight and walked five.

Kevin Larson was 2-for-3 with a double for Independence.

Sierra Vista 7, San Fernando (Calif.) 3 — At Sierra Vista, Chafton Temple was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs to help the Mountain Lions defeat the Tigers.

Venderberg went 1-for-2 with two RBIs for Sierra Vista.

Zachary Kreithe went the distance, allowing two earned runs on seven hits, to get the win. He struck out four with one walk.

Shadow Ridge 14, Elsinore (Calif.) 4 — At Shadow Ridge, Nick Erickson was 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs and three RBIs to help the Mustangs to the five-inning win over the Tigers.

Dylan Baker was 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI for Shadow Ridge, which scored nine runs in the fifth.

Bryan Trujillo, Vinny Archer and Justin Lee each drove in two runs for the Mustangs.

Chapman Wheeler went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and two RBIs for Elsinore.

Shadow Ridge 12, San Pedro (Calif.) 0 — At Shadow Ridge, Jesse Meyer threw a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts as the Mustangs beat the Pirates in five innings.

Meyer struck out 10 with one walk.

Lee and Dillon Kathrein each went 1-for-1 with two RBIs for Shadow Ridge, which benefitted from 10 walks and three hit batters.

Centennial 10, Sylmar (Calif.) 0 — At Centennial, Nik Dobar threw a two-hitter to lead the Bulldogs to a six-inning win over the Spartans.

Dobar struck out six and walked three.

Zachary Hare was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Tanner Wright and Jake Rogers each had a triple and two RBIs to lead Centennial.

Eric Nachg added a double and two RBIs for the Bulldogs.

Cleveland (Calif.) 6, Centennial 5 — At Centennial, Adrian Gonzalez scored on Nick Stein’s groundout in the top of the sixth to break a 5-5 tie and give the Cavaliers the win over the Bulldogs.

Myles Gonzalez was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs for Cleveland, and Stein went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.

Kyle Horton was 1-for-4 with two RBIs for Centennial, which scored all five runs in the third inning.

Las Vegas 5, Garfield (Calif.) 0 — At Las Vegas, Trey Chauncey fired a one-hitter to lead the Wildcats to the win over the Bulldogs.

Chauncey struck out seven and walked three. He also went 3-for-4 with a double.

Diego Delgado and Martin Simmons each went 2-for-3 for Las Vegas.

Rim of the World (Calif.) 8, Las Vegas 4 — At Las Vegas, Zach Mchenry had a double and picked up the win in relief as the Fighting Scots topped the Wildcats.

Tanner Chauncey was 3-for-4, and teammate Martin Simmons went 2-for-2 for Las Vegas.

Faith Lutheran 10, Sylmar (Calif.) 0 — At Centennial, Jacob Ortega went 3-for-3 with two doubles and five RBIs, and the Crusaders scored 10 runs in the top of the first to down the Spartans in five innings.

Sagan Gronauer was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, and Jeremy Aguirre also doubled for Faith Lutheran, which batted around twice in the first inning.

Josh Brown threw a four-hitter and struck out four to earn the win.

Chatsworth (Calif.) 8, Durango 1 — At Durango, Josh Medina threw a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts, and the Chancellors pulled away with five runs in the top of the seventh in their win over the Trailblazers.

Medina also had a single and two RBIs for Chatsworth, which led 2-0 after the first inning.

Zach Kaminkow doubled and had two RBIs, and Miguel Marin had two RBIs for the Chancellors.

Duke Pahukoa hit a solo homer in the fourth for Durango.