SUTTER, CA (MPG) - The Sutter Huskies ended the regular season on a high note as they beat the Venture Academy Mustangs 8-3 in a non-league victory on Friday, May 5.

On top of the regular season finale at home, it was also time to give a round of recognition to the nine seniors that will be graduating and moving on from the program. 

Throughout their time in the baseball program, this senior class has never lost a league championship with the exception of their freshman season getting canceled due to COVID-19.

Huskies head coach Stewart Peterson, who just clinched his fourth consecutive league title at the varsity level gives all the credit to the athletes.

“They come out and work hard yearly, they sacrifice individual accomplishments for team accomplishments,” Peterson said.

He added the coaching staff on all three levels at Sutter deserve credit for being the support system and helping all the athletes in the program grow year-to-year.

Sutter (19-5-1, 10-2 Pioneer Valley League) took an early lead in the second inning when senior outfielder Matt McCall scored on a passed ball to give the Huskies an early 1-0 lead. 

Sutter senior pitcher Matt Lorentz shortly scored from senior third baseman Jack Munger’s sacrifice fly to put the Huskies up 2-0.

Lorentz had a short day on the mound as he threw two short innings and recorded three strikeouts. Lorentz expressed to the Dispatch one of the best memories of the season so far was the San Diego tournament trip the Huskies played in early April.

“It was a lot of fun being able to play baseball, win games and win the championship down there. It was a great time for all of us,” Lorentz said.

Along with Lorentz, Sutter senior catcher Landon Sable reestablished the San Diego tournament as a favorite memory this season so far. 

He added the relationships he has built with his fellow seniors over between their time in high school and beyond reaches back to little league as well.

“Being able to share today with them shows the connection we have with one another and allows us to be thankful for all the time we’ve been able to share the field together,” Sable said.

Sable led the Huskies in multiple offensive categories at the end of the regular season including batting average (.479), on base percentage (.556), stolen bases (25), and hits (34).

Sutter junior designated hitter Rylan Giovannoni extended the Sutter lead as part of a five-run third inning as he sent a three-run home run over the left field fence. The Huskies had a couple of balls that were smashed throughout the game, but the cold air kept the balls in the park.

As the Huskies finished the season tied with Colfax for the PVL title, they needed to come up with a solution to separate the seeding as both schools would compete in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs. 

Peterson told the Dispatch there was a coin toss that determined who would get the higher seeding in the playoffs, it’s crucial in this predicament as the teams split a double header at Sutter on March 31.

Sutter won the coin toss Peterson mentioned to the Dispatch and the Huskies were named the number one seed in the Division V bracket on Saturday, May 6. 

Sutter was 6-3-1 at home during the regular season and they were scheduled to host Delta Charter of Tracy on Wednesday.