Tuesday’s contest between the Anchorpoint Christian Warriors and
the North Valley Baptist Bulldogs started with runs being scattered
by both teams throughout the first few innings. The game ended in a
pitchers’ dual.
Tuesday’s contest between the Anchorpoint Christian Warriors and the North Valley Baptist Bulldogs started with runs being scattered by both teams throughout the first few innings. The game ended in a pitchers’ dual.
The Bulldogs’ Jordan Fanara got the better of the face-off with Anchorpoint’s Ryan Tapia, as Fanara tossed a complete game featuring 18 strikeouts and recorded a key hit in the seventh inning to help NVB secure a 4-2 win in Gilroy.
“The first couple (innings) were rough, but after that I settled down,” Fanara said.
Tapia was no slouch himself, striking out eight batters in four innings of relief despite having his hand stepped on and bloodied while sliding into third base earlier in the game.
“It was absolutely a gutsy performance,” Anchorpoint head coach Ken Bradley said. “Ryan loves the opportunity of taking the team on his back and carrying them.”
Taking over for starter Jon Wylie (3.2 innings, 4 K’s) with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, Tapia walked the first batter he faced, giving the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead, before forcing the next batter to fly out to end the top half of the frame. The Warriors couldn’t respond offensively as the game progressed, most notably leaving two runners stranded on second and third to end the bottom of the sixth. NVB added a run in the bottom of the seventh after Fanara hit a double – the only hit Tapia allowed – and then stole third before scoring on a ground out.
The Bulldogs’ first two runs were scored on walks and wild pitches while the Warriors scored one run in the first on a RBI single by Wylie (scoring Tapia, who got on base through an error before stealing second and third) and an RBI single in the second by Christian McCrimon. McCrimon’s swing plated Joseph Apolinar, who got on base moments earlier with a single of his own.
While the performances by both pitchers were special, it wasn’t the first time the pair have faced off. NVB won an extra-innings contest that showcased the two pitchers last year, 5-4, while Anchorpoint won a game over the Bulldogs 1-0 earlier this season
NVB improved to 4-4 in the Coastal Athletic League with the victory while Anchorpoint dropped to 6-4 in the CAL and will face Thomas More Thursday at 4 p.m. at James Lick High School in San Jose.
SOFTBALL
Anchorpoint softball had no problem dropping York Tuesday afternoon in Gilroy for a 16-5 victory.
As the score would indicate, Anchorpoint had several standout performances at the plate. Chelsey Urbanski was a double short of the cycle while going 3-for-5, Ellen Pierce was 4-for-5 with a double and Adrianna Osuna was 3-for-5 with a double.
Kristi Osuna (2-for-4, double) got the win for the Warriors, pitching a complete game with five strikeouts. Her catcher, Brooke Shrull, was effective as a backstop and at the plate, going 4-for-5.
Anchorpoint head coach Alicia Hernandez thought the improvement of her pitcher and catcher, as well the whole team in general, was remarkable.
“[Shrull] is doing a great job back there,” Hernandez said. “This is [Osuna’s] first year pitching so she’s really stepped up to the plate.
“(The team) did really well today. If you had seen them when we first started – we’ve come a long way. It’s awesome to see where they’re at now.”
Anchorpoint, which will host Calvary Christian Thursday at 4 p.m., is now 7-2-1 overall, 4-0-1 in the Coastal Athletic league.
