Mustangs ousted by Valley Christian, 9-2
By JOSHUA BRODESKY
Special to The Dispatch
SAN JOSE – For Gilroy High School’s baseball team, the Central Coast Section Playoffs was like a taste of sour candy. The experience was bittersweet, and it left the team’s players and coaches wanting more.
The fifth-seeded Valley Christian-San Jose Warriors defeated the 12th-seeded Mustangs 9-2 in a game between similar teams that was closer than the final score.
If the Mustangs were intimidated by Valley Christian and its state-of-the-art field, the players didn’t show it. Gilroy got off to a strong start when sophomore centerfielder Josh Sterling (2-for-4), and Ben Hemeon (2-for-4, RBI) singled to right field in the first inning.
When Warrior pitcher John Irby walked junior third baseman Marc Gonzales, the Mustangs had the bases loaded with one out. But sophomore catcher Chris Hernandez grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat, leaving three runners stranded.
It would prove to be a decisive moment for the Mustangs (16-10-1).
“I thought we were a little bit nervous,” said Mustang head coach Clint Wheeler. “And I thought that if we could get a couple runs across, it would have showed us right away that we could play with these guys.”
Instead, it was the Warriors (24-10) that scored a couple runs in the first inning when catcher Tyler Norman drove in two runs on a single to center.
Junior starting pitcher Carlos Garcia said he was nervous to start his first CCS playoff game, but he settled down after the first inning and pitched himself out of jams in the second and third innings.
“I just tried to get some ground balls with my splitfinger,” he said.
The Warriors extended to a 6-0 lead with a four-run fourth inning when Daniel Flores belted a three-run double to clear the bases. Valley Christian head coach John Diatte said Flores’ double was the key to the game.
“We’ve struggled a little bit with getting that big hit this year, but we got it today. Flores’ double was definitely the big hit today,” he said.
It was the type of hit the Mustangs never could come up with, but that didn’t stop the team from making things interesting.
The Mustangs stranded three in the fifth inning after scoring two runs. Irby walked senior left-fielder Ron Colmon and sophomore second baseman Drew Anderson, and then Marty Sustaita doubled to center to drive in Gilroy’s first run. Senior Ben Hemeon followed with a single to left to make the score 6-2.
The bases were loaded with two outs after Irby hit Hernandez with a pitch. But Irby struck out shortstop Peter Mickartz to end the Mustang rally.
“We had guys on base, but we couldn’t get them across,” Wheeler said. “Against good teams, you can’t do that.”
Irby struggled with his control throughout the game, and Diatte said if the Mustangs had scored one more run during their rally he would have turned to Jeremy McCshesney, Valley Christian’s ace.
Diatte said Irby struggled with his control because of the amount of work he’s put in, especially towards the end of the season.
“He’s thrown a lot,” Diatte said. “This is our 34th game so everyone is a little tired.”
Perhaps the Mustangs felt tired as well. Gilroy committed five errors in the game and Wheeler said he could imagine a different outcome with a little luck and fewer errors.
“The errors hurt us,” Wheeler said. “If there was just a couple of baseball breaks that went our way, I could easily see it a 5-4 game.”
Instead, it was a 9-2 loss that marked the end of a young team’s season. But Wheeler and the players hope to build on the experience for next year. With the exception of three seniors the Mustangs return all of its players, and the team hopes to build on its experience.
“I hope we can come back here again and beat them,” Garcia said. “This was my first playoff game. You play better teams than what you faced in the regular season.”
Although the Mustangs’ season ends, the Warriors’ season continues on Saturday when Valley Christian meets Leland, which beat San Benito 2-0.
