Red Bluff bullish on Warriors

While the false alarm in the building at Red Bluff High School wailed for the first four innings, it was not due to any fireworks caused by the bats of the Westside Warriors, as they collected just five hits Saturday in a 14-4 loss to the Red Bluff Bulls.

The Bulls, on the other hand, provided plenty of firepower, banging out 14 hits in the contest, which was part of the Red Bluff American Legion's annual Memorial Day Tournament, played at the high school.

Playing as the visiting team, Westside struck for two runs in the top of the first, as Bulls pitcher Derek Gray struggled to find his control.

J.C. Conrad drew a lead-off walk, and Ethan Schmeltzer was then hit by a pitch, with both runners moving up on a wild pitch. Daniel Mahutga's infield single brought Conrad across, and Tyler McIntyre's grounder to short was thrown away by shortstop Jordan Fox, allowing Schmeltzer to scamper home with the second run.

Gray walked two more, but Red Bluff kept the damage to a minimum by catching Daniel Mahutga trying to steal home, and ending the frame with a 4-3 double play.

The Bulls made sure the Warriors' lead was short-lived, scoring three runs in the home half on three hits, two hit batters and a pair of wild pitches.

Red Bluff batted around in a four-run third, getting five straight hits from the fourth through eighths spots in their batting order, to take a commanding 7-2 lead.

Sean Conrad bunted his way on in the fourth, before scoring on an error, but the Bulls responded with another run in the fourth, before putting the game away with a six-spot in the fifth.

Kyle LaClaire tallied Westside's other run in the top of the fifth, scoring on Marc Mason's run-scoring single after coaxing a base on balls to begin the inning.

Mason pitched the first three innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits. He struck out a pair, and hit three batters.

Austin Arbogast came on for the final two, surrendering seven runs on six hits.

Schmeltzer collected two of the hits for the Warriors.

The scores from the other games in the tournament were not available due to the holiday.

The Warriors opened their season with a four-game series last week against the 18-and-under USSSA Redding Vipers.

Vipers 4, Warriors 3

Vipers 10, Warriors

J.C. Conrad reached base three times and scored twice in the opener, Schmeltzer was 2-for-3 was a run scored and Mahutga clubbed a RBI double.

In the nightcap, Sean Conrad belted three hits, scoring twice, and Mahutga was 2-for-4 with three runs scored in Westside's 10-9 loss in the second game.

Caleb Johnson knocked in two runs, going 2-for-5, and J.C. Conrad was 2-for-4 with a RBI and pair of runs scored.

Mason pitched six innings and was relieved in the seventh by Arbogast, who took the defeat as Redding rallied for five runs in the final inning.

Vipers 10, Warriors 7

Warriors 7, Vipers 2

Brad Paschall's two-run single highlighted Westside's five-run third inning, but the Warriors succumbed to Redding, 10-7, to start the May 23 road doubleheader.

Trevor Rau and Arbogast collaborated on the hill and Schmeltzer went 2-for-4. Mahutga and LaClaire both scored twice.

In Game 2, LaClaire, Hamilton's southpaw ace during the high-school season, took a no-hit shutout into the seventh to guide Westside's 7-2 victory.

LaClaire worked a complete game one-hitter, walked two, hit three and fanned 13 in the Braves' first triumph of 2010.

Westside took advantage of four hits, two errors, a hit batsman, a walk and a balk to plate six runs in the sixth to support LaClaire.

Tyler McIntyre, in the lineup as an "extra hitter," went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Westside batted 10 players in the game. Tanner Johnson, Sean Conrad and Rau also singled and crossed the plate for the Warriors.

Nuts 11, Warriors 1

The Warriors were no-hit by Willows product Will Enos on Wednesday night in Chico, losing to the Nuts hosts at Doryland Field, 11-1.

McIntyre, serving as DH, was hit by a pitch and scored Westside's lone run. Mason, Casey Cleland and Quintin Flores walked to force McIntyre home.

Enos struck out eight in a five-inning complete game and Tyler Wells of Maxwell, also playing for Chico, smacked a RBI double during the Nuts' eight-run, first-inning rally.