Thrower Best sets new discus PR, boys’ volleyball beats
Seaside
Gilroy – The Gilroy baseball team had just beat North Salinas 9-2. But you wouldn’t have guessed it by the somber mood around the dugout after the game Monday.
“We didn’t show up to play,” said Gilroy head coach Clint Wheeler. “Here’s a day where we should come out and pound the ball around the park and get on top of our game.”
Wheeler was hoping for a quick five-inning game with the Tri-County Athletic League’s last-place team. But the Mustangs knocked out a pedestrian seven hits against the Vikings, whom the Mustangs beat 12-0 in a 15-hit effort March 16.
Wheeler thought a week free of games had helped Gilroy iron out its hitting problems. But the Mustangs (9-8, 5-4 TCAL) still put too many balls in the air for the coach’s liking.
“It was not very pretty today,” said third baseman Michael Stevens, whose double was Gilroy’s only extra-base hit of the game. “At this level, any time you hit it straight into the air, it’s a guaranteed out…It’s never good, but some games are like that.”
Aided by some walks and passed balls, the Mustangs scored four runs in the first inning. The Vikings (3-14-2, 0-9-1 TCAL) scored their only two runs in the first as well. Gilroy scored a pair of runs in both the second and fourth innings and one more in the sixth.
Danny Contreras led Gilroy with two singles. Drew Andersen, Ryan Evanger, Kevin Grove, Josh Sterling and Stevens had one hit apiece.
Monday’s game was the first of four games in a crucial five-day stretch for Gilroy. The Mustangs travel to Sobrato today for a 4pm game, host San Benito Thursday and head to Salinas for a rain make-up with the Cowboys Friday. Salinas, which has been banned from the playoffs by the CCS, sits even with Gilroy in third place at 5-4. If the CCS playoff seedings were held today, second-place Palma (7-2-1) and league-leader San Benito (11-1) would be the TCAL’s automatic bids.
The Mustangs need to win the rest of their league games and have some league upsets occur to have a chance at finishing first or second in the TCAL. But the team is also focusing on getting an at-large bid to the playoffs in case tat doesn’t happen.
“Yeah, we need help (from other TCAL teams) for the league championship,” Wheeler said. “But we would get the nod if we beat Hollister twice.”
Gilroy beat the ‘Balers in one of the teams’ two meetings this season and will have a crack at the hot Hollister team at Gilroy High for the third meeting.
“Our goal is to win our last 10 games,” said shortstop and relief pitcher Andersen. “I think we’re a good team. We lost a couple tough games. We’d like to win league, but our main goal is to win a CCS championship and get a good seed in the CCS with points.”
Best Sets Personal Record at Bill Kearney, Second-Best in CCS This Season
Known for its discus-friendly environment, the Bill Kearney Invitational lived up to its billing for Gilroy’s Bobby Best.
After a sub-par performance at the CCS Top 8 meet at Los Gatos Friday night, Best bounced back Saturday at Hartnell College-hosted invite to set a personal record and win the discus with a throw of 169-6 feet. The mark is second-best in the CCS this season and over five feet better than Best’s previous record, which he threw at last year’s Bill Kearney.
In addition to discus, Best also won the shot put with a 49-2-foot throw.
Like Best, junior Carly Kennedy also set a new PR in the discus. Kennedy’s throw of 91-4 feet earned her fifth place. In the high jump, junior Megan McAvoy took fifth (4-10 feet).
In girls’ frosh/soph competition, Remedios Garcia placed third in the discus (84-0) and Samantha Doo placed third in the long jump (13-11).
Boys’ Volleyball Spikes Seaside
The Mustang volleyball team beat Seaside 3-1 Monday night in a warm-up to tonight’s match against San Benito. If the Mustangs win tonight, they will maintain sole ownership of the TCAL over the second-ranked ‘Balers.
After a slow start which led to a 22-25 loss in the first game, Gilroy rebounded to beat the Spartans in three-straight games, 25-21, 27-25, 25-24.
“We haven’t played since Thursday’s game against Salinas,” said Gilroy head coach Craig Martin. “That kind of hurt us early.”
Nevertheless, the Mustangs picked up their 21st win of the season and improved to 11-1 in league.
The ‘Balers, with whom Gilroy had been tied for the league’s first-place spot, fell to Palma in four games Monday. That put Gilroy one game ahead of San Benito going into tonight’s game, which starts at 6pm at Gilroy High.
Against Seaside, setter Gene Losongco spread around 36 assists. Leading the Gilroy attack were outside hitter Vinny DeLorenzo (18 kills), middle hitter Ryan Chisolm (10 kills, 4 aces), middle hitter Dominic Jackson (8 kills, 3 down blocks), outside hitter Travis Graham (5 kills, 2 blocks) and Losongco (4 kills).
