College Baseball | CR Ends Season on a Winning Streak

Updated: 27 Apr, 2025 • 0 • min read

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The College of the Redwoods baseball team concluded their season on Friday with a 3-1 victory away from home against Butte College, finishing their 2025 season with a record of 12 wins and 22 losses.

Despite the overall losing record, the inaugural season under Head Coach John Downey at Redwood concluded on an encouraging note. The team secured victories in six out of their final eight matches. During this stretch, the College of the Redwoods' pitching squad improved significantly by becoming more effective within the strikes.

On Friday, the winning pitcher was freshman Drew Franklin, who exemplifies this approach. He dominated by throwing strikes throughout his complete-game victory. Franklin pitched all nine innings, giving up merely one run—and managed this feat without striking out a single batter. The former Fortuna Husky had faith in his defense and issued just one walk over the entire length of the game, which served as the perfect conclusion to their regular season.

Downey commented about Franklin saying, "He simply steps up and hurls strikes." He added that Franklin has rightfully been dubbed 'Bulldog' by his teammates due to this performance.

With this victory, Franklin improved to a 3-4 record for the season and reduced his earned run average to 5.86.

“Every one of the 27 outs were recorded by the defensive team. He’s throwing exactly as instructed and securing Outs,’ stated Downey. ‘No matter what level they play at, for every pitcher, our primary focus is seeing players who can maintain control over the strike zone.’”

CR received adequate offensive backing, managing two runs in the second inning due to a mistake by Butte and followed by an RBI hit from freshman Kurtis Jackson. Then, in the fifth inning, sophomore Oscar Rudman drove in freshman Jack Irvine with a base hit.

On Friday, Franklin shone on the pitcher's mound during the victory. However, it was the second-year student Seth Grammer who etched his name into college lore during Thursday’s 13-7 defeat when he hit his eighth homerun of the season, tying the College of the Redwoods' seasonal record. The previous mark was established last year by Grammer’s ex-teammate, Blake Browning, but now Grammer shares this distinction atop the leaderboard.

It has truly been enjoyable to witness," Downey stated. "We were aware of Grammer's capabilities, and we're extremely thrilled that he had the opportunity to showcase them.

Grammar, who previously worked as an Eureka Logger, concludes his second season with a batting average of .300. He also managed to drive in 28 runs and scored 28 times himself, adding to his total of eight home runs.

Despite their below-.500 record, Downey feels that this recent winning streak towards the end of the season indicates positive developments for the team going forward.

I shared with the team how incredibly excited I am about their performance throughout," Downey stated. "Every match had its own dynamics, yet consistently, the players maintained their energy and confidence.

One notable aspect for CR was the level of productivity derived from ex-H-DNL athletes. This week, Franklin and Grammer shone as key figures, with hometown players featured throughout the Redwoods roster.

It’s precisely what we desire. We couldn’t have hoped for anything superior, and it’s only going to expand as even more arrives," Downey stated. "The Humboldt team members are our driving force; they form the essence and the lifeblood of this initiative and also serve as the vital pulse of our local CR community.

Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707-441-0526.

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