By Ted Apodaca

Cypress High baseball is looking to win a sixth straight Empire League title. But the Centurions were co-champs last year, thanks, in part, to Valencia coming to Cypress blanking the Centurions, 2-0, to eventually grab a share of the title.

Returning players were motivated to get the early upper hand on the Tigers this year as the two teams met on Wednesday at Cypress High. The motivation worked, as the Centurions pounded the Tigers, 11-0, to improve to 3-0 in league play.

“I marked this one on the calendar,” third baseman Cameron Repetti said.

Repetti got the Centurions on the board with a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning, and then drove in two more runs in the third with a triple. Repetti would score on a ground out.

Elias Rios started the six-run rally in the third with a leadoff triple. He scored on a single by Tyler Chaffee. Later in the third, junior Mike Marsh added two-run home run, as Cypress took an 8-0 lead after three innings.

That was more than enough for pitcher Josh Landry, who allowed just three hits in shutting out Valencia.

“’Crane’ [Landry] did a great job today, and if he sets the tempo and does a good job, it really helps us out,” Head Coach John Weber said.

The Centurions moved to 3-0 in league play, tied with Pacifica for the lead in the Empire race. Weber had already said previously that he thought the league was stacked with quality teams this year. He said the Centurions have to stay focused moving forward.

“It’s great to win today, but we have to play them again on Friday and if we take Friday off, they’re going to smack us in the face,” Weber said.

Cypress plays at Valencia, at 3:15 p.m. on Friday.