Winners of five straight games following a 9-2 victory over the
visiting Alvarez Eagles Tuesday, Gilroy baseball (16-10) is now
guaranteed to have a winning regular season record.
GILROY – Winners of five straight games following a 9-2 victory over the visiting Alvarez Eagles Tuesday, Gilroy baseball (16-10) is now guaranteed to have a winning regular season record.
Having lost three of four entering the latest streak, Gilroy manager Clint Wheeler admitted he couldn’t be happier with the progress he’s seen over the last two weeks.
“We’re beating the teams we should be beating,” Wheeler said. “We’re hitting, we’re throwing strikes; we’re taking care of business.”
Four different players – Angel Gamboa (three innings, four strikeouts), Neal Dinsmore (two innings), Thomas Harrington (one inning, one strikeout) and Jordan Holler (one inning) – took the hill for Gilroy in Tuesday’s contest, and even more Mustangs contributed at the plate.
Holler and Eric Vegas both scored runs in the bottom of the first inning to match a two-run top of the frame for the Eagles, and Vegas scored again in the third.
From there it was all Gilroy.
Holler and Vegas both scored runs to begin the bottom of the fifth, the latter coming home on an RBI-single by Lukas Fortino. Brandon Elam was plated an out later on an overthrown pitchout by Alvarez’ catcher to third, making it 6-2.
The Mustangs added three more runs in the sixth, beginning with an RBI ground-out by Taylor Chris following hits by Derek Engen, Jose Gamboa and Holler to load the bases.
Vegas and Elam capped Gilroy’s offensive effort on the day by each hitting RBI-singles to make it 9-2. Holler closed out the game by pitching the final frame.
With the loss, Alvarez dropped to 3-19 overall, 1-12 in the Tri-County Athletic League.
The difference between how the Mustangs, currently second in the TCAL at 10-4, are playing now and just a few weeks ago is noticeable, but the reasons aren’t especially easy to identify, Holler said.
“We’re just playing better as a team,” he said. “Everyone is hitting. We’re coming together at the right time.”
With only four games remaining on the schedule for Gilroy, the next coming Friday at 4 p.m. at Salinas, Wheeler thinks his message of playing as a unit can continue to push the club through the Central Coast Section playoffs, which will begin the third week of May.
“I think we figured out it’s a team effort, it’s about team – it’s not about the individual – and we’re doing a great job right now,” Wheeler said.
