On paper, Friday’s Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division game between the San Benito and Gilroy baseball teams looked like a mismatch.
After all, the Haybalers entered the contest with a perfect 12-0 record in division play, with visions of running the table. The host Mustangs, meanwhile, entered the game dead last in the standings, at 2-8.
So much for the mismatch. Playing perhaps its best game of the season, Gilroy received a career-best performance from sophomore pitcher-shortstop Jimmy Lemberger en route to a 4-2 victory.
“This is the best game of my high school career,” said Lemberger, who went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate before tossing a scoreless seventh inning to seal the win. “We really get emotional for this game, and the intensity level goes up. It’s a rivalry game, and it felt great to beat them.”
Indeed, one of the most overused phrases in the sports lexicon — you can throw out the records in a rivalry game — happens to be there for a reason. Asked why his team has played the Balers (14-3) perhaps as tough as any other team in the MBL this season, Gilroy (4-9) coach Billy Holler didn’t hesitate.
“It’s a rivalry game,” he said. “It’s still a rivalry, no matter where we are in the standings.”
The Balers lost despite drawing 13 — count ’em, 13 — walks. But in perhaps an even more stunning stat, they left 17 runners on base, including the bases loaded in the fourth and sixth innings.
San Benito also committed three errors.
“We just didn’t execute well in any part of the game,” Balers coach Billy Aviles said. “Offensively, defensively, pitching, it was just a bad all-around day for us.”
Barring a collapse of epic proportions, San Benito will win its seventh league championship in the last eight years, one of the more impressive runs in the Central Coast Section.
The Balers had a five-game lead on second-place Monterey entering Friday’s action, with five games left in the regular season. Tony Amaral, the team’s No. 9 hitter, led San Benito with two hits and an RBI. Zack Moeller had the Balers’ other RBI.
Gilroy never trailed, scoring single runs in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Lemberger scored the Mustangs’ final run in the bottom of the sixth, starting things off with a leadoff double.
Gilroy eventually loaded the bases with two outs when Josiah Wylie drew a walk to plate Lemberger, who put the first two San Benito hitters on base in the top of the seventh before getting out of the jam unscathed.
Gilroy received strong pitching from Anthony Fortino, who started and allowed one run in four innings, and Joe Vanni, who pitched two innings of one-run relief. Now the Mustangs are hoping to parlay the win into a strong finish, with the outside shot of qualifying for the section playoffs.
“If we can bring this type of emotion every game, we’d be better off,” Lemberger said. “I know it’s frustrating for the players, and especially frustrating for the coaches. They know we’re not playing as good as we can. Hopefully we can use this win and move up in the standings.”
