Michael Hartman followed one of the all-time best pitching
performances in Gilroy High baseball history with possibly the
best.
GILROY – Michael Hartman followed one of the all-time best pitching performances in Gilroy High baseball history with possibly the best.
Throwing a perfect game in just 34 pitches for a 13-0 win over visiting Alisal Tuesday, Hartman’s clean sheet came three days after Taylor Chris threw a school record 15 strikeouts in a 7-0 win over Pioneer. Tuesday’s game was called after the top of the fifth inning due to the mercy rule, which requires a game to be stopped if a team is ahead by 10 runs after five innings.
Gilroy manager Clint Wheeler couldn’t have been happier to see Hartman, a junior, pitch the school’s first-ever perfect game, which featured two strikeouts, no hits and no walks.
“That’s pretty special,” Wheeler said. “You set two school records back-to-back – and the huge thing was it was a total team effort.”
Hartman, who was aided by five Gilroy runs in the first inning, one in the second, five in the third and one in the fourth, agreed with his coach, crediting the win and his individual performance to an everyman approach. The effort was made even more comprehensive considering there were no GHS fielding errors.
“We brought the bats so you gotta give credit to the offense and the defense, “Hartman said. “I only had two strikeouts, so they were backing me up. Everyone contributed today.
“I only threw five (innings), but it felt good.”
Brandon Elam started off the Gilroy scoring spree in the first by plating Jordan Holler and Taylor Chris on a single with one out. Elam dove head first to score on an RBI-single by Jordan Dexter, following a Rafael Garcia walk, to make it 3-0. Derek Engen placed a perfect bunt down the third-base line to load the bases, leading to a Garcia run on a passed ball. Jose Gamboa plated the fifth run of the first inning on a grounder for the second out. The sixth and final run of the frame came through Holler’s second at-bat of the inning, when the center fielder beat out a throw to first base to score Engen.
Dexter got his second RBI in the second, making it 7-0, on a fielder’s choice to plate Elam, who got on base and advanced to second on a throwing error with one out in the inning.
Matt Elston had an RBI-triple in the third, while Josh Carter followed with a 2-RBI double and Dexter plated his fourth and fifth runs of the game on a bloop single with two outs.
Johnathan Asuncion gave Gilroy its 13th and final run of the game on a sac fly in the bottom of the fourth.
The victory puts Gilroy at 13-10 overall, and steady at third place in the Tri-County Athletic League at 7-4. The Mustangs will face Alisal (3-17, 2-9) in its next contest Friday at 4 p.m.
