Grizzlies maul MHS

Tyler Waldron probably doesn't need to run the outfield fence after pitching a five-inning one-hitter, hitting a double and scoring three runs, but the Golden Sierra High junior does it anyway.

“He's the hardest working guy I've ever had,” said Golden Sierra coach Mark Hendrix. “No one tells him to go run like that after the game. He just does it because he knows it's the right thing. He really wants to play baseball in college.”

Whatever Waldron is doing before or after the game, it's working.

The reigning Golden Empire League MVP pitched a gem Wednesday against Marysville at Weldon Field for his fourth victory, and the Grizzlies provided plenty of run support in a 12-0 rout in a game called after five innings due to the 10-run rule.

“It was probably his best performance of the year,” Hendrix said. “We've been working to try to get the ball up a little bit more, and he hit his spots today. I thought he was pretty much in command the whole time.”

Waldron, who entered with a 0.95 ERA, retired the first seven batters he faced and gave up his only hit in the third inning, a single down the line in right field by Devin Ingles. Waldron fanned eight, increasing his strikeout total to 56, and walked one, facing three batters over the minimum.

“I felt good. I felt pretty smooth,” Waldron said. “My arm wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but then I just started hitting my spots. I worked up, down, curves, just worked all my pitches and threw strikes.”

Waldron leads the Sac-Joaquin Section with a .640 batting average, and smacked an RBI-double in the Grizzlies' four-run second inning. He walked twice and reached on a fielders choice.

Golden Sierra (7-3-1) roughed up Marysville (2-6, 2-1) starter Mike Walker for four runs - one earned - in the first. Walker allowed three hits and walked one.

Walker was pulled for Harryson Heilman in the second, and he pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing eight runs on five hits with five walks and one strikeout.

“They came out swinging the bat. You can't do too much about that,” Marysville coach Steve Vernier said of Golden Sierra's powerful lineup, which has beaten its opponents by an average of nine runs “The first two guys hit line drive, line drive and everything else was hit on the nose.”

Jason Baldwin, Brock Ladd and Bucky Beam had two hits each for Golden Sierra. Beam knocked in three runs.

“Our batting order is extremely good, and we just hit the ball and score runs in tons,” Waldron said.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Justin Miller can be reached at 749-4796. You may e-mail him at jmiller@appealdemocrat.com