Colusa County has shot at trifecta

Northern section playoff preview

Appeal-Democrat

The Sutter, Maxwell and East Nicolaus high baseball teams begin defense of their Northern Section championships today.

And, Colusa County is sitting pretty well.

"Colusa County could very well sweep three championships," Maxwell coach Eric Lay said.

His Panthers are seeded No. 1 in Div. V, Colusa, which opened the playoffs Thursday with an 18-6 win over Live Oak, is seeded No. 1 in Div. III, and Princeton is seeded No. 2 in Div. VI "and has a good shot at winning," Lay said.

DIV. II

Orland at Sutter

After starting the season slowly, the Sutter Huskies went on a tear late to win their final 13 games en route to the BVL title, finishing the year 23-6-1.

The 23-5 Huskies beat Orland 7-2 on the road in March and blanked them 10-0 in six innings at home April, with today's rematch in Sutter looming.

Derek Carothers leads Sutter at the plate, hitting .545 while Jeremy Birmingham is hitting .539. Other Huskies doing well include Josh Birmingham (.468) and Mitch Sanders (.405).

No. 7 Orland (10-11-1) is led by Craig Simons, who is batting .471, and Cole Sampson, who is hitting .421.

Wheatland at Winters

The Pirates (11-14) are the No. 8 seed. Wheatland is led by Daniel Brown, who is batting .397 with six doubles and a triple. John Embree is hitting .364 and Sean Rawlin is batting .302.

Jeronimo Aguilar lead No. 1 Winters (19-4) with a .500 batting average. Other top hitters include Zack Higgins (.471), Aaron Geerts (.468) and Kevin Rowell (.429). As a team, the Warriors are batting. 347.

DIV. III

Pierce at Hamilton

The No. 7 seeded Bears (7-15) will have their hands full when they travel to Hamilton City to take on the No. 2 seeded Braves.

Pierce is led by Ottie Harris (.459), Jerry Vega (.397) and Jake Driver (.351).

Craig Lohse, younger brother of Major League pitcher Kyle Lohse, leads Hamilton with a.470 batting average. Other Braves with healthy numbers include Jamison Parker (,389), Jeff Cavins (.361), Brad Lohse (,348) and Omar Diaz (.333).

DIV. IV

East Nicolaus at Esparto

Despite going 15-5 on the year, 7-3 in the tough Sacramento Valley League, the defending Section champion Spartans (15-5) received a No. 5 seed and a road game at No. 4 Esparto.

Esparto beat the Spartans 10-4 in the teams' regular season finale last Friday.

Joe Kukuruda leads East Nicolaus, hitting .523, while both John Kukuruda and Andrew Rubalcava are batting .500.

Esparto (16-10-1) is led by Suavae Cook, who is batting .507, as well as Dustin Arevalos (.448) and Josh King (.419).

DIV. V

Bishop Quinn at Maxwell

The top-seeded Panthers find themselves in an emotional game.

"If they lose, it will be their last athletic contest ever," Lay said of Bishop Quinn, which is closing its school because of declining enrollment. "Their players and coaches are pretty emotionally charged."

The two have faced each other once, with Maxwell winning, 10-3. Coincidentally, the day of that game was the day that Bishop Quinn found out its school was closing.

"They were all pretty sad," Lay said.

Maxwell won the Div. VI title last season and has moved up one division this year.

"We're looking for a good challenge," Lay said. "There are some pretty good schools in Div. V."

Maxwell (25-3) is led by Mitchell Barsotti, who is batting .556 and Steven Perry, a freshman who is hitting .500. Other Panther sluggers include James Bowen (.457), Gustavo Rangel (.448) and Brian Hamner (.431), as Maxwell is batting .391 as a team.

The Lions (7-10) are the No. 8 seed. They are led at the plate by Alex Lee (.475) and Kyle Klieve (.400).

DIV. VI

Butte Valley at Princeton

Thursday

Princeton (15-6) has a first-round bye. The Eagles are led by Guillermo Rodriguez (.540) and Cody Hansen (.531).