Pub Date: Saturday, March 16, 2002 : Ryan Lambert

Coash shuts down, Pipho knocks out

It takes a lot to upstage the 6-foot-6 southpaw slinger Jake Coash.

Thus far, however, the incessantly chiming bats in the Canyon hit parade seem up to the task.

With six runs in the first two innings, including a pair of home runs by Ryan Pipho, the Cowboys defeated a young Valencia squad, 9-1, Thursday afternoon at Canyon.

The Cowboys (7-0) have given their pitching staff 53 runs to work with in the last five games and Friday’s league opening win came against the team that swept Canyon last year.

“We’ve just been on a roll right now,” Pipho said. “It’s kinda nice to beat these guys though.”

Pipho, the senior center fielder who went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three batted in, launched what played like a warning shot off of Valencia starter Jon Porter to leadoff the game.

Ryan Burke, who went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and an RBI, took Porter deep shortly after and Canyon had given Coash all the support he would need.

“All year long our offense has been coming out aggressive, wanting to get ahead and set the tone,” Pipho said. “We know as long as we put up runs, the pitching will do its job.”

With a 2-0 lead and their penchant for the long ball established, the Cowboys posted four more runs in the second.

Cody Leavitt’s double scored Josh Schreck, who got aboard with a single, and Kyle Zeiler singled to score Leavitt giving Canyon a 4-0 lead.

Pipho then lowered the boom with a two-run homer into the chilly winds at Canyon.

“We’re driving the ball and making things happen with two strikes,” Schulhofer said. “That’s what I expect. I’ll be disappointed when it stops.”

Taking a commanding lead to the hill from the third inning on, Coash struck out 11 Vikings through seven innings of work to earn his third victory of the season.

“I was trying to work in on the hands especially on a cold day like this,” Coash said. “Our bats are explosive and make for a lot less on the pitching staff.”

Burke scored Canyon’s seventh run on a sacrifice fly from Clay Britton in the third inning. Britton drove Burke home again in the fifth inning and in the sixth, Zeiler scored on a single to center by Eric Ashbrook.

His sixth-inning RBI served as a retort after Valencia (4-2) finally got to Coash.

After recording his seventh and eighth strike outs of the game, the left-hander allowed a single to center off the bat of Danny Worth. Matt Aidem, a sophomore first baseman, swatted a double into the left-field corner scoring Worth and the first Viking run of the day.

The last time these two teams met at Canyon, Coash was on the losing end of a nine-inning affair. Consequently, the loss meant Canyon would finish third in league.

“It makes you want to beat them more,” Coash said.

Any notions that Coash was wearing down in the late innings were dispelled when he struck out the side to end the game.

“I usually get stronger as I go,” Coash said. “I guess I get pumped for the last inning and start throwing harder.”