Two gut wrenching defeats in less than five hours turned a sunny
Friday in Salinas into a nightmare the Mustangs would soon like to
forget.
On paper, the Gilroy High baseball team reads tough to beat. However, on the diamond, it’s a different ball game.
Two gut wrenching defeats in less than five hours turned a sunny Friday in Salinas into a nightmare the Mustangs would soon like to forget.
Unfortunately, the sting of two Tri-County Athletic League losses to Palma leave a lasting impression in the standings.
“If you look on paper we are better than a lot of these teams out here. But what can you say when they are beating us,” GHS manager Johnny Ramirez said.
A doubleheader of sorts began with the Mustangs and Chieftains resuming a game from March 17 that was called due to darkness tied at 1-1 through 10 innings. An error in the bottom of the 12th cost the Mustangs that decision 2-1.
Nearly four hours later, Palma (13-2 TCAL) rallied from a 5-2 deficit to shock the Mustangs in extras once again, stealing a 7-6 nod in the eighth.
“We knew what was ahead of us,” Ramirez said. “We knew there could be a two-game swing. That was tough. When the (second) game was over, I could see the kids’ frustrations.”
Two wins Friday would’ve meant a Mustangs’ 10-5 league record, one game behind Salinas in the loss column for third. Instead, GHS is now 8-7, 12-8 overall, buried in fourth with three league games left – a trio of tilts to save a playoff spot.
“We are at a pivotal point now,” Ramirez said. “We are not out of the playoffs but you don’t want to go to the (playoff seeding) meeting with an 8-10 record.
“We are in some quicksand right now and it’s going to take a team effort to get out.”
Friday’s “nightcap,” a painstakingly slow-paced chess match littered with brow-curling bad calls (for both teams) and a combined 20 hits, was in jeopardy of being postponed itself until Alec Irwin singled through the hole between shortstop and third base to chase home Jack Ross for the game-winner.
Four innings earlier, the Mustangs led 5-2.
Bubu Garcia woke everyone up with a loud line drive grand slam in the top of the fourth to cap a five-run inning that catapulted the Mustangs into the lead. Ryan Alba singled in Matt Bartholic to start the rally.
But the Chieftains made it 5-3 in their half of the inning and jumped back in front in the fifth 6-5.
“We are making little mistakes that are taking runs away from us,” Ramirez said.
Gilroy had three fielding errors and three base running blunders that cut short three innings.
Palma had loaded the bases on an error and two walks in the fifth when Adam Leavenworth lifted a short fly ball to center. Peter Palma completed the catch and threw home as Cameron Neff tagged up from third. Palma’s throw came in high and to catcher Jordan Dexter’s right, allowing Neff to safely sneak in with a slide ahead of Dexter’s tag. Ramirez disagreed with the close play and was subsequently ejected.
“You’d like to hope in big games they get the call right,” Ramirez said. “I was trying to fire my team up. That play kind of deflated us.”
A two-RBI bloop single by Joey Schulman one batter later added insult to injury.
The Mustangs battled back in the top of the sixth as Alba scored on a passed ball to make it 6-6 where things stayed until Irwin’s decider.
“It’s going to be a tough road back,” Ramirez said. “Somehow, someway, they have to look in the mirror and say, ‘yes, I can do this.'”
Gilroy is playing in the Serra Classic this week, beginning today at Santa Cruz. Bishop O’Dowd and Serra are also on tap.
The Mustangs continue league action at home May 3 against North Salinas.
