Despite jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the No.
5-seeded Mustangs were eliminated by the fourth-seeded Serra Padres
in the quarterfinals of the CCS Division I playoffs Saturday
afternoon in Mountain View.
MOUNTAIN VIEW – It was a record-setting year for the Gilroy High baseball team.
An astonishing 223 stolen bases – a Central Coast Section milestone, the highest sum in the state and the fifth most in the nation – highlights the list.
But the memorable season was cut short albeit a lot sooner than manager Johnny Ramirez and his players had hoped.
Despite jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the No. 5-seeded Mustangs were eliminated by the fourth-seeded Serra Padres in the quarterfinals of the CCS Division I playoffs Saturday afternoon in Mountain View.
“They just got the two-out hit,” Ramirez said. “They did their job. They scored when they had to. Are they better than us? Today, yeah.”
The Padres scored twice in the bottom of the first to go up 2-1 and tacked on three runs in the third and one more in the fifth to seal the win.
Down 5-1 in the top of the fourth, the Mustangs mounted a rally, putting runners on second and third with one out. But two straight strike outs spoiled the effort.
“We had them on the ropes, but we couldn’t get that hit like we had in the past,” Ramirez said. “We had the chance to make some noise, but we didn’t capitalize.”
Serra pitcher Julian Merryweather silenced the potent Mustangs’ bats to the tune of just four hits en route to tossing a complete game.
Conversely, though he only yielded one hit in 2.2 innings, GHS starting pitcher Michael Hartman had trouble with his command, walking six batters.
“Michael looked good. He’s so athletic on the mound, but the walks will come back and haunt you,” Ramirez said.
Jordan Holler ripped a double and scored in the top of the first inning. Eric Vegas went 2-for-3 and Jordan Dexter had a single in the fourth.
“It was a good year,” Ramirez said. “They are hurting a little bit right now, but we accomplished a lot this year. We had to find our identity and we did.”
At the start of Saturday’s action, three Tri-County Athletic League teams, Gilroy, San Benito and Salinas, remained in the hunt. However, at the conclusion of the day, neither advanced through to the semifinals as the Balers lost 4-2 to Valley Christian and the Cowboys faltered 3-2 against Archbishop Mitty.
As a result, the Division I semifinals bracket includes four West Catholic Athletic League teams.
