By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com

The Napa Valley College baseball team lost its 2024 season opener, falling 8-1 to host Modesto Junior College in a nonconference game on Friday, Jan. 26.

Shortstop Jorge Lopez-Rios led the Storm, going 3-for-4 and scoring the team's only run of the game.

Kyle Worden also did a very good job in relief, throwing six innings and allowing only three hits and one run (earned).

A seven-run second inning for Modesto, keyed by a two-run single by Landon Nunes and a two-run double by Logan Hart, was the difference.

Each team had seven hits. Napa Valley was charged with two errors and Modesto had one error.

Napa Valley scored its only run in the fifth inning. Lopez-Rios scored on a bases-loaded hit-by pitch.

Napa Valley struck out 10 times against Modesto pitching and left nine runners on base.

Getting one hit each for the Storm was Raisean Avila-Dorsey, Vincent Lencioni, Peyton McGowen and Samuel Anderson.

Bryce Campbell homered to right-center in the fifth inning for Modesto.

Isaiah Franco started and took the loss for NVC after pitching two innings and giving up seven runs (six earned) and four hits, walking three and striking out two. Franco faced 14 batters.

Worden, working in relief, faced 21 batters.

Modesto used five pitchers. The win went to Cooper Lanz, the starter, who threw three shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out three batters.

Modesto left three runners on base.

Hart, Campbell and Nunes each had two RBIs for Modesto.

Napa Valley continues its season on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at Modesto at 2 p.m.

* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.