Acorns, Mustangs battle for second place on Monday
GILROY – Palma has done it again.
If it wasn’t bad enough that the Chieftains rallied for five runs in the final inning to beat Gilroy in Tuesday’s 8-7 decision, then it got even worse Thursday when league champion Palma lost to Live Oak, 10-4.
“That hurts us,” head coach Clint Wheeler said.
The Mustangs, who still had a chance at their first league title since 1991 before Tuesday’s loss, did what they could Thursday by defeating North Salinas, 5-1. But with the Acorns upsetting Palma, the neighboring rivals are now tied for second place at 9-5 in T-CAL heading into Monday’s critical league finale in Morgan Hill at 4 p.m.
“It’s really important,” Wheeler said. “It can be the difference of being a 10 seed to a 16 seed.”
Wheeler is anticipating a rematch on the mound between Gilroy junior Carlos Garcia and Live Oak sophomore Kyle Mosbrucker, who won the first match-up in a tight 2-0 game.
“We’re trying to get ready for CCS and finish the season strong,” said Mustang sophomore left-hander Jeremy Teschera, following Thursday’s 5-1 win over North Salinas.
Sophomore cather Chris Hernandez added: “(We’re want to) get some momentum going into CCS.”
