Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver once remarked that, “Nobody likes to hear it, because it’s dull, but the reason you win or lose is darn near always the same – pitching.”
And while Weaver’s comment is subject to debate, anyone watching the Colusa RedHawk baseball team this season might wholeheartedly agree.
The RedHawks, now 23-0, sport a 0.329 ERA, have struck out a combined 246 batters, allowed just seven earned runs over 149 innings, and relied on that dominance to carry them to wins over Willows in two Sacramento Valley League games last week.
Shouldering the load on the mound this year has been senior Ethan Lay, the Northern Section leader in strikeouts, ERA, and wins, along with sophomore Luke Kalfsbeek, who trails only Lay in strikeouts and wins.
Lay got the nod on the road against the Honkers on April 19, and while the game ended in a 13-3 blowout in Colusa’s favor, some sloppy play in the field made it initially closer than the score would indicate.
Finding themselves down 1-0 going into the fifth inning, the RedHawks took advantage of Willows’ miscues to erupt for 13 runs over the final three frames.
Still, it was the pitching that kept them in the game, as Lay went six innings without yielding an earned run and fanning 13 to eclipse the 100 strikeout mark for the season, before giving way to Hunter Sines, who tossed a clean seventh.
Over 58.2 innings of work thus far, Lay has recorded 109 strikeouts and kept his 0.00 ERA intact against the Honkers, earning him recognition as one of CalHi Sports’ “State Stat Stars of the Week.”
When it was all said and done in Willows, however, the RedHawks did pound out 13 hits and drew six walks, although only four of their 13 runs were earned.
Nick Price finished 3 for 5 with three runs scored. Lay went 2 for 3 with three RBI, while Seth Kalisuch and Clay Randolph were both 2 for 4.
In the series finale on April 22 at home, Kalfsbeek took the hill in what turned out to be a pitchers duel where Colusa edged Willows 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The tall lefty was impressive, turning in a complete game four hitter, where he rang up nine Honker batters and did not concede an earned run. He then helped his own cause by putting the ball in play for what was the game winner.
With the game tied 2-2 and two out, Kalfsbeek hit a hard chopper that was misplayed by the Willows third baseman, which allowed Bo Coronado, who had reached on a walk and advanced to third on a single by Price, to cross the plate.
For his efforts, Kalfsbeek, the RedHawks’ top hitter, with a .450 average and 22 RBI, drew praise from Coach Eric Lay.
“Luke has really matured as an all-around player from his freshman to sophomore year,” Lay said. “His growth on the mound has been amazing. He has stepped into that No. 2 role in our rotation and that’s been the single biggest reason why we’ve been so consistent as a team this season.”
In the win, Price had another nice effort at the plate, going 2 for 4, while Kalfsbeek tripled and Emanuel Frias collected the only other hit for Colusa.
Despite taking the loss, credit also goes to Willows pitcher William McCoy, who went six and one-third innings, giving up one earned run, and using a steady dose of breaking balls to strike out seven and limit the RedHawks to three hits, before vacating the mound having thrown 114 pitches.
Although it wasn’t always pretty, the series with the Honkers was one that, according to Lay, will be beneficial for his squad with the playoffs just around the corner.
“It was great for us to have to come back in both games this week,” said Lay, who is in his 10th season at the helm of the RedHawks. “We didn’t panic and our pitchers gave us a chance to figure it out offensively. These will be the types of games we need to play to win in the playoffs and it shows our maturity as a team.”
Riding its 23-game win streak, Colusa hosted East Nicolaus (13-8-1) on Tuesday and heads to Trowbridge on Friday to complete the series with the Spartans. ■
