MURRIETA — The Murrieta Mesa Rams baseball team only needed to win one game after going 10-0 in league to clinch an outright Southwestern League title. After dropping games to Murrieta Valley, the week prior, and Temecula Valley earlier last week, Murrieta Mesa got the win they needed at home Friday, May 21, taking down the Golden Bears 10-5.

Five RBIs from senior Makana Olaso, and 6 and two-thirds innings on the bump from Jhayden Raineri, with some solid defense behind him, pretty much sealed the deal in the Rams win. Olaso drove in runs on a home run in the first and a home run in the fourth. Raineri had 9 strikeouts through the course of the game, giving up four hits, one walk and four runs.

The Rams had a four-run lead going into the fourth inning, but Temecula Valley knotted things when sophomore catcher, Zach Anderson, hit a three-run home run after the Golden Bears got on the board earlier in the inning due to an error.

Murrieta Mesa pulled away for good with five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning when Derek Hurtado’s sac fly scored one run, then shortstop Carter Garate singled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring one run and Olaso homered on a 2-0 count, scoring three runs.

Temecula Valley scored one run in the top of the fifth on a Chris Paciolla single, but the Rams answered with one of their own when sophomore right fielder, Lucas Casey, hit a solo homer.

Jhayden Raineri earned the victory on the pitcher’s mound for Murrieta Mesa, who have now won their second-ever Southwestern League title in the school’s decade-long history. Caden Byers threw one-third of an inning in relief out of the bullpen when a batter reached safely on a pre-celebration, dropped third strike call, which caused the Rams to have to pitch to one more batter for the final out. Raineri had reached his pitch limit on the previous play.

Harrison Bodendorf took the loss for Temecula Valley. The pitcher surrendered four runs on four hits over two and two-thirds innings, striking out two. Murrieta Mesa hit four home runs on the day, which also included a Colby Moran dinger in the third inning.

The Rams racked up nine hits in the game. Nate May, Olaso, Garate, and Moran all collected multiple hits for Murrieta Mesa. Paciolla led Temecula Valley with two hits in four at bats.

Regular season Southwestern League action comes to an end this week as two games remain for each of the six teams before playoff brackets get announced Sunday, May 30, at www.cifss.org.

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