The Cypress High baseball team recently wrapped the Boras Tournament, which didn’t prove to be easy competition for the defending CIF champ. Though the squad finished with an unimpressive record at the Mater Dei tourney, it recovered to remain unbeaten in Empire League action, topping Tustin with an 8-3 victory on Tuesday, April 8 at home.
The Centurions, who occupy the No. 1 spot in the standings, improved to
Centurions pitcher James Acuna (3-0) earned the win by tossing four innings. He allowed three runs off seven hits while striking out three and walking one. Josh Gogue worked the last two innings, allowing no runs while fanning a batter and allowing a single hit. Jason Bush threw one inning, too.
The Centurions, who trailed 1-0 after an inning, struck back for five runs in the second. Though Tustin dented the board for a pair, trimming the deficit to 5-3 in the fourth, the Centurions added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth and another in the sixth.
At the plate Dominic Fletcher flexed his muscles. He ended with a 3-for-4 performance, which included a home run and doiuble. He also scored twice and chalked up two RBI.
Brandon Alamo and Garrett Brockel both went 2-for-3. Alamo knocked in one RBI while Brockel plated a pair of runs, scored another and smacked a double. Additionally, Bush hit an RBI double and Mikhail Izraylev doubled as well. Isaiah Parra also recorded a h it.
The Centurions will wrap the two-game series at Tustin on April 10 at 3 p.m.
Last week, Cypress ended the Boras Tournament. It finished that run with a 1-3 record, suffering defeats at the hand of Temecula Valley, Great Oak and Granite Hills. The team’s only win came against Grossmont, which it bested with a 7-1 win on April 2.
Acuna earned the win, tossing six innings while allowing six hits. He also recorded five strikeouts and walked a batter while allowing an earned run.
The Centurion, who notched one run in the first and two in the second before taking a 4-0 lead in the third, impressed at the dish.
Parra swang the big stick, going 2-for-3 with a home run and a pair of RBI. He also scored a run. Alamo and Brockel recorded the only other multiple-hit games. Alamo, who played with his brother Tyler on last year’s championship team, went 2-for-3 with a double and RBI. Brockel finished with a double and run.
A handful of others delivered one hit. That list included Bush, Elijah Skipps (1-5), Izraylev and Nick Valdez. All of them but Bush earned an RBI.
The matchup occurred in the consolation bracket, considering both teams lost their openers.