It came down to the wire Saturday, but the Beavers and closer Mike Marlar (Casa Roble) held off a 9th inning rally by Modesto JC to defeat the Pirates 3-2 at Beaver Field.  The Beavers got on the board in the 2nd inning after LF Jimmy Lunardelli (Oakmont) hit his 6th triple of the season, then scored on a close play at the plate on a sac fly by C Bryan Babcock (Antelope).  Lunardelli could have been out but the MJC catcher dropped the ball while applying the tag.  CF Brandon Raposa (Woodcreek) and SS Cameron Bennett (Rio Linda) then followed with back-to-back two-out doubles to go up 2-0.  A.R.C. added a third run in the 5th after 2B Steve Mercado (Antelope) reached on strikeout and passed ball.  He was able to advance to 2nd when the catchers throw went into right field.  RF Alex Gaskin (Jesuit) then singled in Mercado.  The Beavers had another chance to score in the 6th when DH Dalton deVries (Oakmont) hit his first career triple to lead off the inning, but Lunardelli and 3B Austin Call (Oakmont) couldn't drive him in with less than two outs and Babcock grounded out to end the inning. 

Freshman LHP Mike Ramirez (Del Campo) had a superb first career start, going 7 2/3 innings without allowing a run.  He scattered 5 hits and 3 walks, and struck out three and he did not allow a runner to reach third base.  LHP Kyle Grant (Burbank) faced one batter in the 8th and made it count, striking out the batter with two runners on.  Marlar came on in the 9th and gave up a leadoff single, then walked the next batter, just his 3rd walk on the season.  He then got a strikeout and a pop-up to get the Beavers within one out of a shutout.  Modesto pinch-hitter Joe Pedlowe then slapped a 2-2 pitch in the hole between short and third to drive in a run.  Modesto's next batter then hit a weak groundball to the right side in the hole between first and second in which Steve Mercado made a great play getting to the ball and tried to make a spinning, twirling throw to first to end the game but it was off the mark and the runners were able to move up to 2nd and 3rd and the score 3-2.  Marlar got the next batter to foul out to first to end the game, allowing the Beavers to take the season series from Modesto three games to one, and 2-1 in conference play.

A.R.C. will play Santa Rosa JC at home on Tuesday and Saturday next week, and in Santa Rosa on Thursday.