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| Pirates back on track |
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| Written by Marc Aceves | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 25 June 2008 | |
 Smack! Above, Pirates pitcher Drew Barrett, who had 11 strikeouts during Sunday's game against the Banditos, makes contact at the plate. After a two-game losing streak, Barrett's pitching helped the Patterson Pirates blank the Banditos, 9-0. Photo by Marc Aceves/Patterson Irrigator At least, that’s what the team hoped Sunday, when they sent in their ace to halt their two-game winless drought. The former Stanislaus State pitcher didn’t disappoint. Barrett’s 11-strikeout, complete-game effort paved the way to victory as the Pirates blanked the host Banditos 9-0 at Stribley West Park. The win improved the Pirates’ record to 3-4 in the team’s inaugural Cal-Mex Baseball League season. “We needed to win today to stay in the race,” Barrett said. “I think that (the Banditos) are a young team, maybe a bit inexperienced, and we were able to take advantage of that.” Barrett mowed down the first 12 Banditos batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning. The Banditos’ offensive woes continued throughout the game. Patterson’s flamethrowing right-hander baffled the opposition with a devastatingly accurate fastball and slider combination. Barrett scattered just three hits in nine innings. “I just wanted to stay ahead in the count,” Barrett said. “When you’re on the hill with the lead, it’s always a lot easier to pitch and throw strikes.” Meanwhile, the Pirates’ bats feasted on Banditos pitching.  The former Stanislaus State hurler fires a pitch. Photo by Marc Aceves/Patterson Irrigator Patterson also took advantage of several errors, capitalizing in the third inning with the first run of the game. After reaching base on an errant throw, Tino Ramirez trotted to the plate on teammate Jose Garza’s groundball single into left field. The Pirates tacked on four more runs in the top of the fourth inning. Patterson’s Rudy Lozano took first base after getting plunked by a pitch. He then advanced to second on a Barrett single to center. Barrett tried to stretch his hit into a double but was gunned down at second base. But the throw allowed the heads-up Lozano to shuffle over to third. He scored on a sacrifice fly, giving Patterson a 2-0 lead. Patterson shortstop Jerry Lawhorn ripped a double into the right-center field gap to keep the rally alive. He stole third base and made it home to score the Pirates’ third run on another Banditos error. Teammate Rafa Arroyo pelted a Banditos offering deep into left field, good enough for a two-RBI standup double. Patterson’s 5-0 lead was more than enough run support for Barrett. “We knew we had to hit more if we want to win out here,” Lawhorn said. “We expect to win every game. We don’t come out here to lose.” And the Pirates’ bats stayed hot. Patterson tacked on another run in the fifth inning and two more in the eighth. Both Ramirez and Lawhorn crossed the plate on a Jesse Rivera single to center, upping the lead to 8-0. “Our bats came up big today,” Barrett said. “(Our lack of hitting) is the reason why we’ve been struggling. There’s a lot of competition out here. We need to keep our offense going.” Lawhorn’s RBI double in the top of the ninth gave the Pirates their final run of the game, and Barrett slammed the door on the Banditos in the bottom half of the ninth. “(Barrett) is a hell of a pitcher,” Lawhorn said. “He throws the ball really hard, and we knew that their guys weren’t going to catch up with him.” Patterson will return home Sunday to host the visiting Bulls at 1 p.m. at Garza Park. To reach Marc Aceves at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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