Desert Pines earns comfortable baseball win over Tech

Desert Pines’ baseball team had lost two one-run games to Tech this season.

A first-inning outburst on Tuesday made sure that wouldn’t happen again.

The Jaguars scored eight runs in the first and rolled to an 11-1, five-inning home win over the Roadrunners.

“They’ve been playing really well,” Desert Pines coach Ricky Earp said of Tech. “They beat us 3-2, and they beat us 6-5, so they beat us in two close games. So it was nice to jump on them early and get a win. We needed a win against a team like them.”

Tech starter Gave Kermode struggled with his control and manged to get just one out. He hit the first two batters, walked four and gave up three singles as the Jaguars took the early lead.

”We’ve lost six one-run games, so it was nice to have an easy one,” Earp said.

Juan Castenada’s RBI single was the only Desert Pines hit to leave the infield in the first. The Jaguars also drew three bases-loaded walks in the inning. Tech pitchers walked six and hit two batters in the first, and it took 65 pitches to get out of the inning.

Castaneda added an RBI single in the third, the only other Desert Pines hit to leave the infield. The Jaguars, who had five singles, added a run in the third on another bases-loaded walk and another when a batter was hit with the bases loaded.

Salvador Becerra was the winner, allowing an unearned run on four hits.

“He threw well. He threw strikes,” Earp said. “He pitched to contact, but he’s been doing that all season.”

Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587. Follow @DamonSeiters on Twitter.