Bears avenge loss to Clovis

At a time when April’s about to fold into May and championships are often formed by senior-based teams, second-ranked Buchanan High clearly had its eye on the prize, arrived with a plan, executed it flawlessly and defeated No. 3 Clovis 4-1 Tuesday night in a Tri-River Athletic Conference showdown of leaders.

The Bears applied pressure by bunting on the first two pitches they saw, scored three times in the first inning, received golden glove defense from middle infielders Brett Bishop and Bryce Barger — and, above all, yet another gem from sophomore sensation Seth Moranda — to remain tied atop the league with No. 1 Clovis West with 8-2 records.

Three-year reigning champion Clovis, which will visit Buchanan on Friday, fell to 7-3.

“It’s the best time of our lives, and I’m glad we’re playing well,” said Bishop, who had all the appearances of the Pac-10 second baseman he’s about to be at Cal by driving in two runs and displaying defense that combined range and arm strength.

The game at Clovis reversed a first-rounder a month ago at Buchanan that saw the Bears make four errors behind Moranda, leading to four unearned runs and a Cougars 6-1 victory as Zach Coy pitched a two-hitter.

Tuesday, it was the state’s 13th-ranked Clovis (19-5) that made three errors, leading to four unearned runs off Coy, a senior left-hander who arrived with an 8-1 record and 1.65 ERA.

“The plan was to get him off the mound a little bit and not let him settle into a rhythm like last time when he just dominated us,” Buchanan coach Tom Donald said.

And so the state’s 10th-ranked Bears (19-4-1) did, as Seth Batty reached first on an error after bunting on the game’s first pitch, Barger followed with a sacrifice, and Robert Chambas and Bishop followed with a single and double — each driving in a run — for a 2-0 lead and momentum that wouldn’t be lost.

Moranda’s blend of talent and composure at such a young age (16) is drawing comparisons with Bobby Jones — who as a junior pitched Fresno High to a Central Section title in 1987 and would spend 10 years in the major leagues. He gave up four hits and one run in six innings and improved to 8-1.

Moranda is an exception to a senior-laden group that has long pointed to a third section Division I title for a school that won it consecutively in 2005 and ’06.

“The last thing you want to do as a senior is leave your mark,” Bears third baseman Brent Etiz said. “Now, we’re just living for the moment and having a great time.”