Prep Roundup: Gilroy High wrestlers dominate nationals, softball
splits games and baseball falls to Branham 4-3
Gilroy High’s top trio of wrestlers showed they’re not only three of the best wrestlers in the state of California, but also three of the best in the nation.
Sophomore Jesse Delgado won the National High School Coaches Association Sophomore Nationals held in Virginia Beach, Va. last weekend, while junior Martin Gonzalez and senior Hunter Collins both took second.
The competition is separated by weight classes and class standing in high school.
Delgado won his finals match 11-2 over Keith Surber of Illinois after taking down six other wrestlers from states reaching across the nation, including a 4-3 victory over New York state champion Nick Araju in the semifinals.
Collins, battling a hip injury suffered in a semifinal victory over Ohio state champion Brian Roddy (13-6), lost to Ben Bennet of Michigan (a three-time state champion in high school) in the finals. Before that match, Collins had dispatched five wrestlers who had a combined seven state championships.
Gonzalez lost his finals match to Zachariah Neibert of Ohio in the finals, but had already beaten five wrestlers with very impressive resumes. Leading up to the finals, Gonzalez did not allow an opponent to score more than three points in a match.
Gilroy High sophomores Rodney Balajadia and Vincent Aboytes also made the trip, with Balajadia gaining valuable experience in two matches, both defeats, while Aboytes rebounded from an opening round loss to post a record of 2-2.
SOFTBALL
Wednesday was a game to forget for Gilroy High softball, as the Mustangs lost 8-0 at Archbishop Mitty.
Thursday was a game to celebrate, as the Mustangs rebounded for a 7-2 win at North Salinas, pushing Gilroy’s record to 14-4, 2-1 in the Tri-County Athletic League.
Trailing 1-0 early in the game, the Mustangs got a jump-start when Diana Carter hit a home run to tie things up. Gilroy then took a lead it never relinquished in the sixth inning when Jasmine Perez hit a three-run home run.
“We came through hitting,” coach Catherine Hallada said.
Pitcher Melinda Ortiz got the win while Ashley Harrington came on in the seventh inning to close out the game.
The team will now focus on a Tuesday matchup with rival San Benito.
“That is a big one and we’re hoping to come out hitting strong and feeding off of each other,” Hallada said.
BASEBALL
According to the numbers, Gilroy High’s baseball team should have won a Tuesday game at Branham, a 4-3 defeat.
An 8-5 advantage on hits and having committed one less error than Branham’s two, the Mustangs outplayed their opponents. But a three-run fifth inning for Branham bumped aside Gilroy’s 3-1 lead at the time, and ended up being the difference.
Kevin Grove and Taylor Chris both recorded two hits for the Mustangs.
Gilroy is now 7-10 overall and will play Saturday at 1 p.m. at Palma.
