ELK GROVE — Just like that, the focus in the Davis High baseball season has shifted.

With Cal State Fullerton-bound J.D. Davis throwing a one-hitter while striking out 11, Elk Grove clinched the Delta Valley Conference title with a 4-0 nod over the visiting Blue Devils on Wednesday.

As Davis’ fastball and the afternoon temperature broke 90, DHS managed just a fourth-inning single by Josh Cosio as the locals fell into a second-place tie with Franklin in the DVC — three games behind the Thundering Herd with only three to go.

“J.D.’s good. He threw a great ball game and they played good catch behind him,” Davis coach Dan Ariola said afterward. “But I thought we needed to battle a little more, foul some pitches off, hit some balls harder than we did.

“We had a few balls hit hard, but not enough. We looked worse at the end of the game … I thought we could have competed a lot better.”

Elk Grove’s first four hitters greeted Devil ace Ben Eckels with base hits. Back-to-back doubles by Don Nunez and Jorge Vina made it 1-0, then Davis’ RBI single scored Vina. After Ryan Tellez singled, Eckels plunked Matt Aday to load the bases with nobody out.

But Eckels got Andrew Horne to bounce into a Bobby Young-to-George Hatamiya double play, then retired Chris Bannister on a groundout.

After that, Eckels (5-3) settled in. He threw five innings, allowed three earned runs, while fanning six and walking two.

Tellez had an RBI knock in the fifth and Nunez brought home Jeremiah McNeal (who reached on a sun-aided triple) in the sixth. That last run was off DHS reliever Reinert Toft.

“That’s a good team with their best guy throwing, and if you want to win league titles, section titles, you have to beat those guys,” Ariola added. “We need to find a way to beat them … that’s what we didn’t do (Wednesday).”

Now, the Blue Devils (17-4-1, 8-3) entertain The Herd on Friday (4:15 p.m.), then play home (Monday) and away (May 11) with Franklin.

“Gotta beat Franklin twice to get the No. 2 seed,” Ariola, the 16-year Davis skipper stated flatly. “Friday doesn’t mean anything as far as standings. It means a lot to play well for pride, but we have to get Franklin.”

DHS dropped a 4-3 decision last month to the Wildcats.

Should the Blue Devils finish in third place, they will be forced to meet the Monticello Empire League’s third-place school in a May 16 play-in game for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, which begin May 19 at American River College. Currently Napa — which DHS beat 7-5 on March 17 — sits in that spot.

“That’s not what we want though. We want second,” Ariola said.

Notes: Jack Shelledy (5-0) probably will get the start for the Devils against Elk Grove with Alec Miramontes pitching Monday and Eckels going at Franklin on May 11. … Though there will be no “Suicide Saturday,” the CIF tournament will keep the format in which schools that lose opening-round games are out — the remainder playing double-elimination for north crown. The section finals are June 3-4 at Sacramento City College. … The Herd’s Davis, who is 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, is 5-1 with a 1.64 ERA. He’s struck out 57 batters in 41 innings. Oh, and he’s hitting .521 with eight dingers and 39 RBI. … Elk Grove’s Viña is former Major League player Fernando Viña’s nephew.

— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at [email protected] View galleries and purchase prints of Blue Devils sports photos at http://davisenterprise.zenfolio.com

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DHS head baseball coach Dan Ariola, right, argues with an umpire during a game earlier this season. On Wednesday, the Blue Devils lost 4-0 at Elk Grove, allowing the Thundering Herd to clinch the DVC title. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise file photo

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