Monarchs bat away Marauders

Valley College is led by their starting catcher who went 3-4 at home on Tuesday.

By Nicholas Orozco, Sports Editor

Sophomore catcher Bobby Velasco, turns on an inside pitch and hits it over the left field fence for a grand slam in the second inning against Antelope Valley. This homerun would be his second of the day and his second of the season, he would finish the day 3-4 with six RBIs. (Nicholas Orozco | Valley Star)

Coming back from an injury that sidelined him for over two years, freshman starting pitcher Brett Edwards had enough in the tank on Tuesday to help Valley College defeat Antelope Valley 16-4.

“I was very excited that the coaches gave me the opportunity to even get the start,” said Edwards, who last took the hill at Cal State San Louis Obispo in 2020. “Overall, I feel like I did a pretty good job, just got a little tired at the end.”

The Monarchs (21-14, 12-4 WSC) hosted the Marauders (14-20, 5-11 WSC) in their second to last series of the season. In a game that saw five Valley pitchers take the mound and a dominant offensive showing.

Sophomore Bobby Velasco would get the offense started for the Monarchs, hitting a solo home run in the first.

Velasco would step up to the plate again after sophomore Elvis Park hit a double that scored freshman Max Aude and sophomore Will White in the second.

Now in a 3-1 count, Velasco would crush an inside pitch that hit the roof of a shed out in left field, bringing in Park and freshman Royce Clayton Jr. and Tino Valdez. The Monarchs led 7-0 heading into the third.

“When they put up the six-piece inning, I was very relaxed, I was sitting for so long that I had to go throw in the bullpen,” said Edwards, about the second-inning offensive firepower.

In the third inning, Park hit a sac-fly into right-center that allowed White to touch home. Clayton Jr. hit a single into center that scored freshman Luis Torres. After swiping second, Clayton Jr. scored himself after sophomore Tyler Olivas hit a double down the right-field line.

Edwards would then pitch into the fourth and record one out. After letting up a double into left field that scored two, his day was done.

The Monarchs would then use four different pitchers, including freshman James Coker, who would pitch through the fifth inning. Sophomore Josh Balos would have the sixth and seventh. Freshman Morgan Jennings took the eighth and Justin Villanueva to shut the door.

The pitching for the Marauders was able to hold the Monarchs up until the sixth inning. Torres ripped a double down the right field line that was barely fair and scored Aude.

In the seventh inning, Velasco hit a double into left field and brought in Clayton Jr. With the bases loaded and pinch-hitting for Park, sophomore Brandon Cuervo hit an infield single that scored freshman Sean David.

With the bases still loaded, the Marauders walked Torres and Valdez back-to-back. The two walks allowed Aude and White to score, capping off the 16-4 win.

“He was really excited, he’s a really emotional guy,” said the head coach Dave Mallas, regarding his starter Edwards. “He’s earned it, he’s back. We were asking for three, he just ran out of gas.”

Valley will next travel to Antelope Valley on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.