FOWLER – It should come as no surprise that the Fowler Redcats just know how to win. In fact, Tehachapi found out the hard way how powerful a focused Redcats team really is.
Breaking out their full arsenal of timely offense, stout pitching and fundamentally sound defense, No.1 seed Fowler punished No. 5 seed Tehachapi 10-1 in their CIF Central Section D III Semifinal game at the Fowler Varsity Field on May 23.
“That was just an all-around great effort, and that was what we talked about after the game,” said Fowler head coach Bill Feaver. “We pitched well, we played good defense, we ran the bases well, and we swung it well in some big counts. I was very pleased with the effort.”
After Fowler finished with their pre-game warm-ups, they huddled near the left field foul line and studied the Warriors. Focused on their opponent, the Redcats wanted to size up the South Yosemite-Mountain League (SYML) champions to see what they were up against.
“To be honest with you, that’s just what they did,” said Feaver. “I think they knew Tehachapi was a good team and they wanted to see what they were up against. I think they’re just that focused.”
Feeling ready and hungry, the Redcats took to the field confident that the Warriors would not ride away with an upset on their home field. If Tehachapi had any chance of spoiling Fowler’s season, they had to rattle around sophomore starter Euraiya “YaYa” Morelos.
Refusing to be intimidated by the Warriors’ imposing hitters, Morelo appeared focused on the mound. Mixing in a nice combination of control and command, Morelos tossed a gem, surrendering only 1 run on 3 hits. That’s how locked in he was on the bump.
“We put YaYa in some really big games earlier in the year and this doesn’t surprise me,” said Feaver. “He’s pitched well all season. I felt very confident with him out there.”
Fowler’s hitters definitely didn’t lack any confidence at the plate. Swinging the bats aggressively is what they do best; because that’s how focused they are when they step up to the plate.
A focused Jerod Smith started the offensive onslaught when he launched a two run homer over the left field wall to put the Redcats on the board first. And Josh Haro exploded with a hot stick, helping Fowler blow open the game by scoring 3 in the 5th and 4 in the 6th.
Smith and Haro were just part of a Fowler attack that made life miserable for Tehachapi pitching.
“To see him come up big is not a surprise to me,” said Feaver. “He does that all the time; that has been the key to this team. We swing the bat well, and we hit all the way through the lineup.”
For Fowler, games like this, wins like this, are the expectation. It’s this determination and focus that has powered them to an incredible 27-3 season, and their second consecutive outright Northwest Sequoia League (NWSL) title.
Now that the Redcats took care of business against the Warriors, they can divert their attention to playing in their second consecutive D III Championship game. Last season, Fowler came up short against Kingsburg.
“These guys are very focused, they want this thing bad; they really do,” said Feaver. “They are not letting up right now. They see this opportunity and they feel really confident.”
