Holdren fans 16, lifts Rancho past Eldorado

Wielding a fastball consistently near 90 mph, Rancho pitcher Eric Holdren was dominant from the start Saturday in throwing a two-hitter.

But none of the sophomore right-hander’s 16 strikeouts was more important than the final two.

After Eldorado scored two runs on a fielding error by Rancho’s first baseman, the Sundevils had the potential tying run at the plate with one out in the top of the seventh inning.

Holdren responded by striking out the next two batters, lifting the Rams to a 4-2 home win in a Northeast League showdown.

“They just had a horse on the mound,” Eldorado coach Jesse Medellin said of Holdren. “That guy is as good as we’ve seen all year.”

Holdren (5-1) struck out 10 or more batters for the fourth time this season. He walked two.

His career-high 16 strikeouts were the most by a Rancho pitcher since current senior Justin Neubauer’s 18 against Liberty in 2007.

“Eric is a gamer,” Rancho coach Tom Pletsch said. “He wants perfection. We made a few mistakes behind him, but he stepped up. Sixteen strikeouts is a heck of a performance.”

Holdren fanned seven of the first 10 batters.

“I got prepared last night, came out this morning, did my bullpen work and did my job,” Holdren said. “My fastball was really jumping on the hitters, and my curveball was working pretty good.”

Rancho (18-5, 5-1) took sole possession of second place in the Northeast, and Eldorado (12-8, 4-2) fell to third.

“There was a lot on the line today, to be one game behind (Las Vegas) going into the second half of league,” Medellin said. “I think both teams showed pretty well. It should be fun at the end of the season.”

Rancho scored one run in each of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, and Holdren carried a shutout into the seventh.

Alan Guerrero doubled and scored a run for Eldorado, which had a three-game winning streak snapped and lost for only the second time in 12 games.

Brandon Pletsch was 2-for-4 with a triple for Rancho, which won its third straight. Holdren and Gabe Chavira doubled.