Hollister proved to be a thorn in Gilroy’s side.
After losing to the Hollister All Stars in the opening game, the 11-year-old Gilroy team rebounded in the loser’s bracket only to be bested once more. Hollister beat Gilroy 14-0 Monday in Scotts Valley.
The Hollister crew held a 2-0 lead heading into the fifth inning — that’s where things got ugly for Gilroy. Hollister was able to bust the game open by scoring 12 runs and securing a victory against the Garlic City All Stars. The loss eliminated Gilroy from the section tournament.
“I think they were really excited to have an opportunity to play on a team that actually did something pretty special and got to the sections,” coach Greg Fernald said. “The tournament director from District 39 — the host for the sectionals — handed us our fourth place medal and said ‘Hey, you guys should be proud of yourselves’. We were the fourth place finishing team out of our sections — that’s out of 51 or 53 other All Star teams. To finish fourth best out of more than 50 teams, that’s an accomplishment.”
Hollister won the teams’ first meeting 10-4 on July 13. Gilroy was able to stay alive with a 10-7 win over Los Gatos Sunday in loser’s bracket play. Fernald, who coached the 10-year-old team last year, said he was proud of his team for making it one step further this season. Depsite being the District 59 champs last season, the 10-year-olds were unable to win a game at sections. Fernald said he’s hoping this is an indicator the team can go even further as 12-year-olds. But even if that doesn’t happen, he said he’s just happy to see his ballplayers have fun.
“I had a ball so it’s always a little bittersweet,” Fernald said. “You’re ready for it to end when it does because you’re worn out. But a little part of you wants to keep pushing because you’re having so much fun. When the kids do succeed, it’s a lot of fun. Their little smiley, happy faces are why we do it.”
