Gilroy
– The Mustangs took an early lead against Bellarmine Friday on a
home run by Michael Stevens, but it was all down hill from
there.
Gilroy – The Mustangs took an early lead against Bellarmine Friday on a home run by Michael Stevens, but it was all down hill from there.
Stevens’ home run to left-center field, his first long ball of the year, came with out out in the first inning. The only other Mustang hit was a double by Tyler Osborne in the second.
“I’m speechless right now,” Stevens said after the 15-1 loss. “I know we are a better team than this. Every team goes through its slumps. But we’re going to stick together as a team. The future still looks bright for us.”
Gilroy (4-7) lost in the Los Gatos Lions Club Tournament game after the game was shortened to five innings because of the mercy rule.
“They’re a good team,” Bellarmine coach Gary Cunningham said of Gilroy. “When you play three or four games a week, it puts a real strain on the pitchers. The defense really has to be on its toes. If we play Gilroy in a two-game week, they could easily sweep us.”
Mustangs starting catcher Lukas Fortino had to leave the game in the second inning after a pitch glanced off his thumb and ripped his nail off. Backup catcher Roberto Celesto came in from left field to fill in.
“Roberto does a good job wherever he is at, so we weren’t worried about that,” Gilroy coach Clint Wheeler said. “All preseason they have been going back and forth, so that wasn’t a problem.”
Bellarmine (7-3) began scattering hits at will in the third inning and scored 12 runs. The Bells had two doubles, a triple and a two-run home run by Erik Goeddel to put the game out of reach.
“If we play catch defensively, we limit them to four or five runs that inning,” Wheeler said. “Anytime you give the other team extra outs, it’s going to get ugly in a hurry. There was no reason it should have got that ugly. Right now we’re not pitching too well and not playing catch too well. So it makes it tough to win games.”
The Bells added three more runs in the fifth inning off of home run by Patrick Walker that hit the scoreboard in left field. One of the few defensive gems for the Mustangs was when they turned a 6-4-3 double play right afterward. But the damage was done.
Jacob Dexter is scheduled to start today’s game in the Carmel Invitation Tournament against Harbor at Carmel, the fourth game this week for the Mustangs.
“We’ve had a bad week all together, a long week.” Wheeler said. “It was a week were hoping to go 2-2.”
The Mustangs have lost their first three games this week by a combined score of 27-5.
Bellarmine 0 0 12 0 3 – 15 18 1
Gilroy 1 0 0 0 0 – 1 2 3
