Each time Danny Gutierrez stepped up to the plate against Skyline he was a force to be reckoned with.
Gutierrez went 4 for 5 en route to Gavilan’s 17-8 win over the Trojans Saturday at home. He had four RBIs and scored three runs and a walk to snap the Rams’ four-game skid.
The Trojans continued to battle until the end, scoring six runs in the top of the eight to cut Gavilan’s lead to 11-8. But the Rams answered with six of their own. Landon Cord and DJ Santellano hit back-to-back RBI singles to score Jake Conlan and Richard Flores, respectively. Gutierrez and Javier Garcia were both walked with the bases loaded, bring home Cord and Santellano, respectively. Conlan was the third bases-loaded walk of the inning which scored Adam Kocina. Gutierrez scored the final Gavilan run of the game on a balk.
Gutierrez started off Gavilan’s scoring, doubling to bring home Santellano before crossing home plate himself off a Conlan double to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the third.
Conlan and Gutierrez struck again for the Rams in the bottom of the fifth when Conlan hit a two-RBI triple to score Garcia and Gutierrez. Andrew Bueno followed up with a single to score Conlan and give the Rams their first lead of the game at 5-2.Â
Conlan went 3 for 4 with four RBIs, two runs, two walks, a double and a triple.Â
A two-RBI single further boasted Gutierrez’s stats for the day when he scored Kocina and Santellano in the bottom of the sixth, improving  Gavilan’s lead to 7-2.
Santellano was 3 for 6 with three runs, an RBI and two stolen bases.
The Rams widened their lead to 11-2 after Aaron Wallace hit a three-RBI triple to score Cord, Flores and Andrew Bueno in the bottom of the seven. Wallace scored on a passed ball.
Scott Tall got the win on the bump, allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out three and walking two in five innings of work.
Gavilan (12-22 overall, 6-16 in conference) will play its final home game of the season at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday against Cabrillo.
BASEBALL
4.22 vs. Cabrillo, 2:30 p.m. — home finale
4.24 at Hartnell, 2:30 p.m. — regular season finale
SOFTBALL
4.22 at Cabrillo, 3 p.m. — regular season finale, conference championship game
