After being shut out against Hamilton on Tuesday, Corona del Sol needed to show that its bats could back up its pitching against Dobson on Thursday.

“We’re trying to get guys confident again swinging the bat,” Aztecs coach Dave Webb explained. “We’ve been a little bit like a rollercoaster through the last week and a half.”

It was Cade Verdusco who stepped up, recording three extra-base hits, three runs and an RBI to help the Aztecs (3-3) defeat the Mustangs (4-3), 6-1.

Verdusco led off the home half of the first, knocking the second pitch he saw into right center field to record his first triple of the game. A sacrifice fly from Hunter Haas drove him in.

Two innings later, Verdusco tripled again. This time, it was to left center, scoring Quade Swearingen. He made it home as Bryan Webb stole second base.

For his final hit, he put the ball down the left field line for a double. The first of three runs to score in the fifth, Verdusco was again batted in by Haas, an Oregon State commit. 

“It was impressive watching him today,” Dobson coach John Miklus said. “We had him with two strikes a couple times, and he’s just a really good hitter.”

Another key performer for the Aztecs was starting pitcher David Utagawa. Through six innings of work, he gave up just two hits and one walk, restricting the visitors to a single run before making way for Austin Carpenter.

“He has struggled a little bit early with control, and lo and behold we throw him in that Hamilton game [on Saturday] and he was great in relief,” Webb said. “We’ve got three pitchers now hurt. It was big for him to step up, get a start today and just throw a lot of strikes.”

Ultimately, the Mustangs failed to adapt to what Utagawa was throwing.

“We faced a really good pitcher,” Miklus said. “He kept us off. They changed how they were pitching us pitch by pitch, and we didn’t make the adjustments we needed to.”

The Aztecs now face a two-game road trip, and hope to gain confidence from the 6-1 victory.

“It wasn’t as meaningful [as the Hamilton game], but it still feels good,” Verdusco said. “You’ve got to start somewhere again. Maybe this’ll boost some confidence and let us roll into the rest of the season.”

The Aztecs' next game is Friday afternoon at Chaparral. Dobson will travel to Highland at the same time.