PETALUMA - The first ever VVAL baseball game played was between Petaluma and Casa Grande. Petaluma used a big first inning to hang on to the victory, 5-3 over their cross town rivals.
Petaluma (2-2, 1-0) got its first run thanks to two Casa Grande outfield blunders and a hit batsman.
Mario Zarco got Petaluma’s first hit that drove in their second run. Starting Pitcher Gavin Ochoa walked to make it 3-0 early. Second basemen Sam Jacobs lined a single right back up the middle for the big two-RBI single to push it out to an early 5-0 lead.
“We punched early and we had to. That’s how you battle a good team like that,” said Petaluma head coach Jim Selvitella.
Ochoa weaved in and out of trouble threw his first three innings of work, but after a home run by Cole Santander and walks to Julian Centeno and Conor Klemenok forced Selvitella to pull him from the game.
They brought in another sophomore in Julian Garrahan, who had a rough beginning. He got Joe Lampe to pop out, but a Noah Bailey ground ball to third was bobbled by Zarco bringing in Centeno to make it 5-2.
Petaluma’s second straight error came from center fielder Joe Brown who dropped a line drive to and brought in Klemenok to make it 5-3.
After that, Garrahan shut down Casa Grande (2-1, 0-1), going right through their lineup, with only two base-runners in the final three innings.
“They punched us back and we shut them down. Jullian (Garrahan) was great tonight and competed,” Selvitella said of his sophomore.
Garrahan’s final line read four innings pitched, one run, three strikeouts and one walk.
Ochoa got the win for Petaluma, going three innings, allowing two runs, with only one being earned, with five strikeouts on two hits.
Chris Sanchez took the loss for Casa Grande, going 4.2 innings, three hits, and five runs, none of them earned with two strikeouts.
Petaluma will travel to Vacaville for a Saturday matinee.
Casa Grande continues league play as they travel to Arnold Field for a night game with Sonoma Valley on Friday night.
