The Tracy High baseball team’s 1-0 win over San Joaquin Athletic Association rival Lodi on Tuesday was one of the closest contests the Bulldogs have played this year.

The Bulldogs (16-3, 8-0 SJAA) only run came in the fourth inning, when Matt Loscavio reached base on an infield error to start the inning. Loscavio then stole second and third, and came home on a passed ball.

The error for Lodi (8-8, 4-3 SJAA) overshadowed an otherwise dominate pitching performance by starter Grant Hennecke.

Loscavio credited his teammates’ efforts at the plate to work the pitch count as what helped him get around the bases to score.

“When a pitcher is really in a groove like (Hennecke) was, I knew we would have to be aggressive on the bases,” Loscavio said. “This is a big win. It really cemented our first-place spot. Lodi is always a tough team in league and two wins against them early in the year is definitely going to help us out later.”

Lodi had a great chance to score in the top of the first inning when the Flames loaded the bases but Tracy starting pitcher John Jaeger struck out the next three batters to get out of the early jam. He finished with 6 2/3 innings pitched and no runs allowed on four hits, two walks, two batters hit by pitches, and four strikeouts.

Lodi also threatened again with a runner in scoring position in the top of the seventh with two outs. A pitch by closer Jonah Wesely got past catcher Jake Shull, which prompted the Lodi runners to begin advancing on the bases. Shull was quick to recover and threw to first baseman Cody Daniel, who made a tag for the third out.

Sophomores: Tracy 4, Lodi 3

After three scoreless innings, the Bulldogs and Flames each scored a run in the fourth inning, Tracy took a 3-1 lead in the fifth, and Lodi tied it up in the sixth.

Tracy scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth when David Hinson singled and Braeden Oki batted him in with a sacrifice fly.

Anthony Nunez pitched five innings, gave up one hit and one unearned run, and struck out eight.

C.J. Butcher pitched two innings, gave up one hit and two unearned runs, and struck out three. Anthony Nunez led Tracy at the plate with a single and a double while Ryan Vares singled twice, Braeden Oki doubled and batted in two runs, Aaron Denholm singled and batted in a run, Josh Brakkee batted in a run, and C.J. Butcher and Clayton Fegett both singled.

Millennium 23, Stone Ridge Christian 2

The Falcons had an early lead with a six-run rally in the first inning, but it was a 14-run fifth inning that put Tuesday’s game away against Stone Ridge Christian in Merced.

The Falcons had 15 hits for the day, and they also reached base on seven Stone Ridge errors, three walks, and eight batters hit by pitches.

Base hits for the Falcons included three for each Kyle Murawski and Gavin Compton, and two each for Chris Espinosa and Spencer Blackwell. Compton also batted in four runs, and Murawski and Blackwell batted in three each.

Blackwell was Millennium’s starting pitcher, and he got the win after he allowed two runs, one of them earned, on one hit, three walks and one batter hit by a pitch.

Austin Larson and Joe Bains each pitched an inning of relief and each retired the side in order.

The win puts Millennium at 13-5 and 5-0 in the Central California Athletic Alliance, where they are tied for first with Elliot Christian, the team Millennium will face in the last week of the season in May.