Whitney makes statement at Boras with wins over Liberty, De La Salle

After sputtering out of the gate to begin Sierra Foothill League play, the Whitey High School baseball team was in need of a reset. Being swept by crosstown rival Rocklin and losing two of the three games by one run was a gut check for the Wildcats but one they needed. Whitney responded with a sweep against Oak Ridge and although it dropped game one of the series against Jesuit, it had no trouble returning to its winning ways. The Wildcats left a stark reminder to the rest of Northern California they aren't going anywhere, picking up a 9-0 victory over Liberty of Bakersfield and a 3-2 triumph over the mighty De La Salle to open the Boras Classic on Tuesday at Army Depot Fields in Sacramento. "It was a good day, we really needed that," said Whitney coach Jackson Watt. Both Whitney starters pitched complete games Tuesday, which helps the Wildcats save key arms for later in the tournament with two remaining games. Brady Estes was dominant against Liberty, striking out 13 while surrendering two hits and one walk. Estes threw 66 of 103 pitches for strikes. Watt had high praise for his Cal Poly commit and said performances like that are why he will be playing at a high level for years to come. "Brady's a special talent. He did a great job today with this command," said Watt. "He kept his pitches down and was able to challenge hitters. He's able to spin a curveball and throw a changeup for first-pitch strikes. Those were huge for him today." It was a pitcher's duel against Liberty until the seventh inning, when Whitney surged for seven runs to blow the game wide open. The turning point came on a grand slam by senior TJ Smith, which doubled the lead from four to eight. The Wildcats had another dominant pitching performance against De La Salle, as senior Braeden Jenest hurled a complete game to fend off the perennial state powerhouse. Jenest gave up two runs, one earned, on five hits while striking out five. His lone walk led off the seventh inning, which was quickly negated by a double play. Jenest retired nine of the final 10 batters. "Braeden came out and he was spinning three pitches and throwing a lot of first-pitch strikes as well. He was able to change speeds, too," said Watt. "We made a couple errors behind him and he gave up a home run at one point, but he did a great job battling through that adversity." Watt stressed the importance of both starters going the distance, especially in a tournament in which the Wildcats will be playing four games in three days against some of the top teams in Northern California. "We found ways to get into other team's bullpens and not get into ours, which is huge, especially in tournaments like this," said Watt. "The team that gets to the other's bullpen first usually has the best shot to win the baseball game, and we were able to do that and take advantage." Watt said he believes this performance is what the Wildcats have been capable of all season and he believes this is a reflection of their daunting schedule so far. Said Watt, "We've been in every single game that we've played this year. We got a mix of some youngsters and some old guys and those young guys have been getting some much needed experience in the first half of the season. I think we're a battle tested team and are looking to have a good second half of league."