SENIOR KEVIN FORAKER ROUNDS THIRD BASE AFTER A TWO-RUN HOMER THAT LIFTED THE GRIZZLIES PAST LE GRAND. HE’S CONGRATULATED ON THE WAY TO THE PLATE BY HEAD COACH BRUCE VEGELY. With their last two wins, Tuesday afternoon over defending Southern Athletic League baseball champs Waterford, 6-3, and last Thursday’s win over Le Grand’s Bulldogs, 4-1, Mariposa’s Grizzlies have launched their SAL campaign with a 3-0 start.

In Tuesday’s battle against the Wildcats, the Grizzlies faced Waterford ace Russell Longworth, who fanned the first 5 Mariposa hitters he faced.

Longworth was replaced in the second inning after an apparent disagreement with his coach, and the Grizzlies jumped all over the reliever in the top of the third inning.

The Grizzlies pushed over 6 runs to take a commanding lead. Senior shortstop Jarrett Miller sparked the outburst with a double. Winning pitcher Jarrett Leonard drew a walk, and Miller scored when a Waterford outfielder couldn’t handle a towering fly ball smacked by Austin Garibay.

GRIZZLY TOMMY STICKLES (NO. 3) DIVES SAFELY BACK TO FIRST BASE IN LAST WEEK’S CONTEST AGAINST LE GRAND. GAZETTE PHOTO BY DAN TUCKER A.J. Hall kept the scoring streak alive with a double to push Leonard across the plate, and Cody Stitt’s infield ground out scored Garibay.

Ian Merzwinski’s solid double plated Hall before Tommy Stickles drew a walk. Kevin Foraker lined a single into centerfield for two RBIs as Merzwinski and Stickles tagged home.

The Wildcats were able to muster a pair of runs in the fourth inning, and added one in the fifth, but came up short.

“We were flat, but we did some good things and a win’s a win,” said head coach Bruce Vegely. “We weren’t ourselves at the plate, but this was one of those games where is was better to be lucky than good.”

Jacob Johnson got the win on the for Mariposa, notching 9 strikeouts in 6 innings. Leonard picked up the save, striking out 2 in the seventh and final inning.

In last Thursday’s win over arch-rival Le Grand, the Grizzlies scored their first run in the bottom of the first inning when Miller doubled and scored on a one-bagger by Leonard.

Le Grand tied the contest in the top of the third when Leonard yielded a 1-out home run on a on an 0-2 pitch.

Foraker delivered the deciding runs in the bottom of the the third when he belted a home run over the centerfield fence, scoring himself and

Stickles, who had laid down a perfect drag bunt for a single in front of Foraker.

Mariposa added to its lead in the sixth inning when Jared Guenthart drew a walk and scored on a fielder’s choice ball smacked by Ian Merzwinski.

Leonard gave up just 3 hits for the game and fanned 17 while handing out just 2 free passes.

“Jarrett (Leonard) had pretty good control and is throwing hard for this early in the season” said head coach Bruce Vegely. “Between our two starters in Jarrett and Jacob (Johnson) I think we will be very competitive in league.”

Mariposa won the junior varsity contest, 22-3.

The Grizzlies travel to Turlock Christian Thursday afternoon, and host Denair next Tuesday in another league clash.