Senior slugger’s seventh-inning grand slam saves the day in 13-9
GHS win over Vikings
GILROY – With one mighty swing, senior first baseman Ben Hemeon turned a tie ball game into a 13-9 road victory for the Mustang diamondmen on Thursday over league-foe North Salinas.
“If it wasn’t for Ben Hemeon, I don’t know if we would have won today,” head coach Clint Wheeler said.
It’s true.
Hemeon finished the day 3-for-4 with six runs-batted-in and three runs-scored – but nothing more special than his 375-foot grand slam that sailed over the left-centerfield fence in the top of the seventh inning.
“I thought it had a very good chance of getting out,” said Wheeler of Hemeon’s game-winning club. “As soon as he hit it, I knew we had at least the go-ahead run.”
The Mustangs had a lot more than just that, rallying to a four-run lead in their final at-bats.
Coach Wheeler told Hemeon to be patient and selective at the plate before he stepped up with the bases loaded and one out. The senior slugger, who is batting a monstrous .506 clip this season, liked the very first pitch.
“It was a strike, but he swung at a pitch at his knees and low. He’s such a strong kid he was able to muscle that thing out,” Wheeler said. “He already had a couple of singles and he hit a deep fly ball early and just missed it, and again it was a bad pitch he swung at.
“This time, I said if you are a little more selective, you’re going to hit a home run and he did,” the coach added. “He likes anything that comes over the plate.”
Hemeon’s blast boosted the Mustangs into sole possession of second place in the Tri-County Athletic League with a 6-2 record. Palma, at 7-1, remains in first place after sweeping third-place Live Oak (5-3) in its two-game series that concluded with a 6-5 win for the Chieftains.
The three-sport athlete was the starting quarterback for the varsity football team and a power forward for the basketball squad before returning to the baseball diamond in the spring.
Last season, Hemeon inherited the starting catcher duties, but was moved to third base in order to get Chris Hernandez’s bat into the line-up. This year, he has found yet another home across the infield at first base.
“I’ve been really pleased with him. He’s been so unselfish,” said Wheeler of Hemeon, who has two homers this season. “I’ve moved him around more than I’ve moved any other kid, and he hasn’t blinked an eye. He’s been really great about this.”
Junior right-hander Peter Mickartz could not re-capture his rhythm on the hill. Even with Gilroy breaking out for a five-run first inning, Mickartz allowed four runs in the first and did not get an out in the second frame.
“He’s struggling with his control right now,” Wheeler said. “He’s thinking too much.”
Junior relievers Armando Franco and Carlos Garcia are turning into the newest one-two punch out of the bullpen for the Mustangs. Franco replaced Mickartz in the second and went three innings before Garcia came in to finish out the final three frames.
“They’ve done a great job coming in and eating up innings when we need them to,” said Wheeler of his relief arms.
Despite his team sweeping North Salinas in the two-game set, the Mustang skipper was not satisfied with how they played as a whole. Gilroy had to sweat out both victories over the winless Vikings, nonetheless coming out on the winning side.
“Bat around in the first and I’m thinking, ‘OK, we showed up ready to play. We’re going to just basically pound a team we should pound, and we didn’t,” Wheeler said. “These guys do find a way to win. At times, it’s not the prettiest to look at, but a win is a win.”
Before returning to league action with a key two-game series against neighboring rival Live Oak on April 20 in Morgan Hill and April 23 at home, the Mustangs will compete in the Lion’s Easter Tournament. Gilroy will start a string of four straight games in San Jose on Saturday at PAL Stadium against Terra Nova at 1 p.m.
