The first of two pivotal Tri-County Athletic League tilts
Tuesday between Gilroy and San Benito was never close as the Balers
stormed out of town with an emphatic 17-2 victory in five
innings.
Game 1 turned out to be a totally one-sided affair.
The first of two pivotal Tri-County Athletic League tilts Tuesday between Gilroy and San Benito was never close as the Balers stormed out of town with an emphatic 17-2 victory in five innings.
Five errors didn’t exactly make it any easier for GHS and neither did a dominant Darin Gillies on the mound for San Benito – or a never-ending 10-run Baler fourth inning.
“You don’t ever envision that because Gilroy has a really good team,” San Benito manager Jason Bugg said. “We have been struggling offensively, to be honest. We worked really hard on our hitting the last week and a half. We attacked the ball and drove the middle of the field and it worked out well. It was good see.”
The floodgates flew wide open in the top of the fourth as the Balers sent 14 hitters to the box en route to the monster 10-run onslaught highlighted by a laundry list of productive at-bats, including a Gillies two-run no-doubter, a two-run triple courtesy of Bryan Granger, a run-scoring three bagger delivered by Ryan Jacob, another two-run home run off the bat of Daniel Arevalo and a two-RBI double off the bat of Jacob Tonascia.
When the dust settled and the inning concluded some 30 minutes after it began, San Benito had all but shut the door on matters and carried a 16-2 cushion.
“As soon as we got that tempo, everybody was hitting,” said Jacob, who added a solo home run in the fifth to make it 17-2. “We talked in practice about staying composed and not getting too amped up – staying focused and playing together.”
GHS starting pitcher Eric Brolin struggled out of the gates and lasted just 3.1 innings, surrendering three walks and four hit batsmen, getting the hook with the Mustangs trailing 11-2 in the fourth. However, the senior wasn’t helped much by his supporting cast in the field.
“You lose a little focus and bam, before you know it,” GHS manager Johnny Ramirez shrugged. “I don’t know if we were too amped up or too tight, but we wanted to win this game. You give Hollister an inch they will take it all.”
Two walks, two hit batters and an error led to three Baler tallies in the first inning. They tacked on two more in the second and one in the third, capitalizing on two more Mustangs’ errors on routine plays to stake a 6-0 advantage through three.
“Our pitchers will get ground balls, and I tell my staff to let the defense work,” Ramirez said. “Usually we have one of the better infields in the league. This isn’t the Gilroy team I know. We are better defensively and offensively.”
San Benito (10-4 overall, 8-2 TCAL) banged out 15 hits, 12 of which came after the 6-0 lead.
“I just hope the momentum of the offense comes around and that we do this consistently,” Bugg said. “I don’t mean 13, 14 runs, but five, six, seven runs a game where guys are giving us quality at-bats. It’s what we are hoping for.”
The Mustangs (10-4-1, 7-3-1 TCAL) loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the third and cut into the deficit to 6-2 as Gillies walked in a pair of runs.
Gillies struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth to boost his total to seven for the game to accompany three hits, two via Gilroy’s Ryan Alba.
Ramirez tipped his hat to Gillies calling him “one of those players you have to get up for.” But the second-year manager quickly shouldered all the blame for the Mustangs’ tough outing.
“I take this loss on me for not getting my team game-ready,” Ramirez said.
Despite the lopsided outcome, Bugg said he doesn’t expect it to be quite as cut and dry when the two teams meet again Thursday in Hollister.
“I’m sure Gilroy is going to come back on Thursday; 0-0 ball game, and anything can happen,” he said. “It can be anybody’s ball game.”
First pitch in Thursday’s contest is slated for 4 p.m.
