Taylor Chris and Rafael
”
Bubu
”
Garcia each recorded two-out, bases-loaded triples Tuesday and
Michael Hartman tossed a shutout for four innings to help Gilroy
High baseball earn an 8-2 win over Palma.
SALINAS – Taylor Chris and Rafael “Bubu” Garcia each recorded two-out, bases-loaded triples Tuesday and Michael Hartman tossed a shutout for four innings to help Gilroy High baseball earn an 8-2 win over Palma.
The victory serves to not only even the season series with the Chieftains at 1-1, but also keep the Mustangs well within reach of their first Tri-County Athletic League title since 2007.
After struggling to even make the playoffs last year, Gilroy (8-5 overall, 6-2 TCAL) is getting consistent contributions from a range of players who were just getting their feet wet at the varsity level last season.
“Last year, obviously, a lot of these guys got good experience because of the problems we had,” Gilroy coach Clint Wheeler said. “It’s helped [them] become just better players in general.
“I think our guys have matured because of those games.”
Hartman had problems hitting his spots Tuesday, but he was able to hand a scoreless ballgame over to reliever Max Fishler, who closed out the contest in three innings of work.
“[Hartman] struggled all day mechanically – didn’t have his stuff all day- but he battled through and gave us four good innings,” Wheeler said.
At the plate, Chris and Garcia have been giving more than their fair share. Chris was 2-for-3 with two doubles, while Garcia went 2-for-4 and stole a base.
“I think we’ve had a lot of guys score runs, we’ve had a lot of guys contribute in that way, but it seems like the most consistent RBI guys are “Bubu” and Taylor,” Wheeler said.
Chris currently leads the club with 16 hits and 16 RBI while Garcia, just a freshman, trails only Chris in doubles and RBI with five and 13, respectively.
Other Mustangs to record two hits Tuesday included Derek Engen and Jordan Holler. Jose Gamboa and Eric Vegas each had one hit for Gilroy, with Vegas supplying an RBI single. Vegas, a sophomore, has shown plenty of pop to start the year, as he currently has the second most home runs in the TCAL with four.
Taking on rival San Benito (12-3-1 overall, 7-1 TCAL) today at 4 p.m. and then in Gilroy at 11 a.m. on Saturday, the Mustangs have a chance to pull into a tie for first atop the league standings with Palma (11-2, 8-2).
“[We’re] in an opportunity to control our own destiny,” Wheeler said.
