FRESNO — No one could have asked more of a baseball team.

Ravaged by the death Sunday of their pitching coach and former player Scott Heinig, the Davis High baseball squad, on Tuesday and Wednesday, was forced to play 24 innings in less than 24 hours against some of California’s top prep schools.

Despite the hardships, Blue Devil skipper Dan Ariola said “my boys’ physical and mental toughness shined through” as the locals finished 3-0-1 in the Fresno Easter Classic.

Wednesday morning’s 9-1 dismantling of Fresno High — ranked eighth in California by Cal Hi Sports — was proof of DHS’ resolve.

According to family friends, the memorial service for Heinig will be on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Freeborn Hall.

“I really can’t put into words how well we played … especially considering what we’re going through,” Ariola said. “It was unbelievable how great we played.”

Against the Warriors (17-4, 3-1 in the tournament), junior pitcher Ben Eckels gave no quarter.

After allowing a scratch run in the first, Eckels (4-2) went on to pitch a two-hitter, fanning 14 while walking only one. He lowered his ERA to 0.79.

“He was tremendous,” Ariola explained, adding that the “whole team” fed off his energy.

After sizzling-hot Chris Gnos singled home George Hatamiya to tie things in the first, an avalanche of focused Davis energy swept Fresno away on John Euless Field at Fresno City College.

Ryan Plumb singled, Josh Merritt walked and Hatamiya hit a sacrifice fly to start a three-run second inning. After Josh Cosio was hit by a pitch, Gnos doubled in two more runs.

The junior went 8-for-16 with nine runs batted in this week.

Three more runs in the third — in what Ariola called “my kind of inning” — put distance between the opponents …

Galen Hoshovsky was hit by a pitch. Dillon Johnson and Plumb, while trying to sacrifice, reached on errors. Bobby Young singled home Hoshovsky and Merritt singled in Johnson as Plumb came in on a throwing error.

In the fourth, Hoshovsky was hit by a pitch for the fifth time in the tourney, and eventually scored on an error. Patric Kreidler’s RBI single plated Cosio in the sixth, after the Blue Devil senior had walked and swiped second.

Davis used eight hits, four hit batsmen and five Fresno errors to cruise.

“What can you say?” Ariola continued. “That Wednesday game is difficult. After playing two extra-inning games Tuesday, then playing (Wednesday) at 10 a.m.? You’d expect a team to be tired. But we came out and beat these guys. Went right after them.”

The win puts DHS at 14-3-1. The loss knocked the Warriors out of championship-game contention.

“Guys like George and Ben and Hoskovsky … they were out there every inning of every game,” Ariola said. “Everybody played hard. After (Wednesday’s) game, half the team was packed in ice.

“I’m so proud of how we reacted to everything this week.”

The Devils get Thursday off from practice and won’t play again until resuming Delta Valley Conference play with Laguna Creek on Monday (4 p.m. on the road).

Davis, at 5-2 in the DVC, sits behind Elk Grove (7-0) and Franklin (6-1) in the standings.

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