SARATOGA -- Off to its best start since at least 2012, No. 1 West Valley checked all the boxes in a victory over Butte, claiming a three-game series win.

The Vikings (7-0) didn't face the same adversity as they did in game one of the series, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looking back, taking down the Roadrunners (5-5), 17-3.

"We just [had] to play the cleanest game that we could possibly play," said head coach Bobby Hill. "The more of the boxes we check off in our categories, the better chance we have to win. And if you do all the little things right, you have a shot. The offense clicked even more today and you're starting to see the offense starting to turn a little bit more. Our at-bats are a lot better."

Freshman lefty Tre LaGrone III started on the mound for the Vikings, throwing three solid innings while keeping the Roadrunners off the board in the first. The Vikings were in go-mode from there, with Eric Altmark reaching on a walk, Bobby Hill singling and David Estrad singling them both home. Joey Damelio, who had squared the ball up without the results he was looking for, clobbered a home run over the left field fence to bring the Vikes' lead to four.

"Today, the ball carried a little bit more," said Hill. "You're starting to see a little bit more of the at-bats from Joey, Bobby, you're starting to see the flights that we want. Joey is a gap-to-gap hitter that's going to put up some home runs. So that's his that's his DNA, that's in his game. He's got a potential to be a 10-plus home run guy."

After Butte scored two in the top half of the second, the Vikings responded with seven in their frame. Already with a run home and the bases loaded, Damelio's sinking liner to left evaded the reach of the Butte left fielder and scored all three runs as Damelio cruised into third. Later in the inning, Jordan Montez hit his team-leading fourth home run of the season to knock Roadrunner starter Brent Gallegos (0-1) out of the game.

In 27.1 career innings coming into the game, Gallegos had allowed just seven earned runs. Against the Vikings, he allowed 11, ballooning his career ERA from 2.30 to 5.65.

Still, the Roadrunners added a run in the top of a third to go down just eight. It's the exact same deficit at the exact same time of game the Vikings came back from yesterday.

"[In] junior college baseball," said Hill, "there's no lead that's safe. The message to the guys is we got to keep pushing the gas pedal and don't let up. We let up when the last pitch is made. But we saw what happened yesterday with us. We didn't give in, we just kept playing and kept playing, and these guys are going to do the same thing. So just remember what we did yesterday could happen to us, and it has. It's something that we don't forget."

LeGrone, who lasted three innings of two-run ball, was replaced by Hunter Olson. He kept his foot on the gas, cruising through four shutout innings while striking out five in what was by far his best outing of his collegiate career.

"Hunter's the guy that just needs a lot of that confidence," said Hill. "You know, he's got good stuff. It's live. It's active. It's just confidence. He went in to do his job and for him to go back out for the second in and do better, and in the third inning, even better, that's what the confidence he needs and now he just has to build off that confidence and just next time he gets the ball, just think about what it was like to be successful."

At one point in his first inning of work, Olson (1-0) walked two batters and fell behind to a third before Hill came out and greeted him. Unlike most of his mound visits, Hill went out by himself, electing to not bring the defense in with him.

"When skips out there," said Olson, "he knows what to tell you, and it's just getting your confidence back up. What's going to make you pitch best? And for me, it's just making me laugh, to know that it's in my control. So it's fun. Absolutely."

With a smile on his face, Olson struck the next batter out to end the inning. The two teams traded zeroes from the fourth through the top of the seventh before the Vikings put their bench in to close the game out. Kaden Smith, who started behind the plate but had gone hitless in three tries, lined a single to start the inning.

Following him, Chris Verceles reached out on a 1-1 hanger and poked it to right where the outfielder dove and had the ball sail pass him. Verceles stormed around the bases and reached third with a headfirst dive for the first hit of his collegiate career.

"I'm just excited to finally put on the jersey and go out and compete," said Verceles. "I've been working. We've been working as a group in the cages on the field, and it's just amazing that we could do it as a team and compete and battle against a good program and just win overall."

Another freshman, Apolo Lapiz, made his collegiate debut in the top of the eighth. Lapiz expected to be a larger part of the bullpen in the early portion of the season but was out with an illness and finally reached full strength against the Roadrunners, going two innings without allowing a run and striking out a batter.

In the bottom of the eighth, Ryan Bays hit a one-out double before Smith doubled him home to again set the table for Verceles. On an 0-1 pitch, he clobbered a fastball over the high wall in left field for his first home run as a Viking.

"It's awesome," said Hill of getting to see a new lineup of freshmen come in late. "To see them come off the bench with very little playing time and then get hits. Chris Verceles, first ever home run. Coach Gabe [Cruz], he says before he hit the pitch that he hit out, he says 'he's going to hit a homer,' and he does. He's a favorite of the players. Great teammate. I'm lucky to have a bench that I have. They're good team guys. They're team-first guys, which is hard. You're used to being an everyday guy. You go to a program, now you're a bench guy. I've had some good players off the bench in the past. This one just seems a little different."

Verceles, who had just one high school extra base hit according to MaxPreps, tripled and homered in his first two at-bats of the season (he took a walk against Modesto earlier this season).

"Ever since the travel ball, like the 12U, I haven't hit one on a big diamond yet," said Verceles. "I had a feeling [it was gone], I thought I was going to go off the wall, but rounding, you could see in the video, I was looking at it, and then it went over the went over the wall, so I was just in shock after that."

Olson echoed the sentiment about Verceles being a great teammate.

"To see Chris go out there," said Olson, "he was almost crying in the dugout, like he just loves the game. That was his first home run ever. So crazy. And so in that moment, he's huge. The team loves him and showed him it. Moments like that, when you need to step up, you don't play in the beginning of the game and you come in, and you take advantage. So proud of Chris, and I'm excited to see what he can do for us this year."

Olson steadied the Viking ship through the middle portion of the game and Verceles punctured the last hole in that of the Roadrunners. Fittingly, the game ended with a pop-up to the right side of the infield, one that fell harmlessly into Verceles' glove.

The Vikings finish a three-game series against Butte as they look for the sweep, with first pitch scheduled at noon.