Gilroy wasn’t about to let this one go into extra innings. The
No. 5 Mustangs knocked off No. 12 Archbishop Mitty 7-6 during the
first round of the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs
Wednesday in another classic contest.
Gilroy – Gilroy wasn’t about to let this one go into extra innings.
The No. 5 Mustangs knocked off No. 12 Archbishop Mitty 7-6 during the first round of the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs Wednesday in another classic contest.
“That what you expect in the playoffs, and that is what you expect when you play Gilroy,” said Mitty coach Bill Hutton about the closeness of the game. “They got some clutch hits. Pitching-wise and hitting-wise, they didn’t have their best day, but they battled.”
The two teams met last year in the first round of the playoffs, and Mitty won 8-6 in 10 innings. Gilroy advances to play No. 4 Wilcox, who defeated No. 13 Oak Grove 11-0, at 10am on Saturday at PAL Stadium.
“Anytime you can beat a West Catholic team, it feels good,” said Mustang coach Clint Wheeler. “This is probably the best team effort we’ve had all year long. We had a lot of different guys contributing. It was beautiful to see.”
Michael Stevens came on in relief in the seventh inning to try to hold a 6-5 lead. Mitty scored the tying run, but Stevens didn’t let that faze him.
In the bottom of the inning, he led off with a two-strike poke into right field for a base hit. Stevens moved over to second when Kevin Grove laid down a sacrifice bunt. Grove bounced the ball in front of the plate and then went under the ball to avoid letting it hit him.
With the third baseman playing deep, Stevens was given the green light to steal. He slid into third and then got up and scored the winning run when the throw from the catcher sailed into foul ground in left field.
“I knew I would have a chance to hit again,” Stevens said. “Coach said if I had a chance to, to put the pressure on them and go for it. It was a good team win for us.”
Stevens wasn’t the only Mustang with a big day. Gilroy used two three-run innings to score the rest of the runs after being retired in order the first three innings.
Leadoff hitter Danny Contreras became the first base runner for the Mustangs in the fourth inning. He hit a hard line drive foul before drawing the walk.
“I was trying to take some pitches and put some pressure on the pitcher afterward.” Contreras said.
Stevens followed with a base hit, and Grove walked to load the bases with no out.
After Mitty starting pitcher Bricklin Foley got two called strikeouts, Lukas Fortino put the Mustangs on the board with an RBI single to right, and Jacob Dexter gave the Mustangs a 3-2 lead with a base hit.
Gilroy wasn’t done. After Dexter fielded a come-backer on the mound, he turned a double play – one of three for Gilroy – to give the Mustangs some momentum heading into the bottom of the inning.
Chris Duffy got things started with a double just shy of the 375-foot sign in deep center field. Gilroy loaded the bases with a walk and an error.
“I just wanted to try to get something started,” Duffy said. “I was looking for a first pitch fast ball and that is what I got.”
A walk to Grove plated Elam Branden, who came in to pinch run for Duffy. Tyler Osborne hit a sacrifice fly, and Fortino added an RBI with a hit in the right-field gap.
The Monarchs answered right back in the sixth inning with three runs as Dexter’s pitch count was nearing 100.
Mitty jumped on the board early in the game with a run off two consecutive doubles to start the game and then scored one in the second. But it could have been worse. The first inning ended with a strikeout-throwout double play as the runner was easily gunned down at third. The second inning ended when the runner was picked off trying to steal second.
“I just tried to keep battling,” Dexter said. “I knew it was going to be a long game and we could turn it around. It was good to win a close game after last year. It was good payback.”
Mitty 110 003 1 – 7 9 1
Gilroy 000 330 1 – 6 5 1
Foley, Plambeck (5), Costantini (5), Gregorio (7), Hildenberger (7) and Stewart. Dexter, Salter (6), Stevens (7) and Fortino. WP – Dexter. LP – Hildenberger.
2B – Haniger, Pianto, Figueroa,
Gorman (M), Duffy (G).
