If the Gilroy High baseball team is going to get out of this
week with a win, or two, or three, the Mustangs’ bats will need to
do the talking.
If the Gilroy High baseball team is going to get out of this week with a win, or two, or three, the Mustangs’ bats will need to do the talking.
Gilroy lost 3-1 to the Palma Chieftains in Salinas Saturday – the Mustangs’ sixth-straight defeat – and the main reason for the loss wasn’t due to a lack of quality pitching or defense.
“We played well for the most part,” Gilroy coach Clint Wheeler said. “Defensively we played well and we pitched well. We had our opportunities offensively, we just couldn’t hit.”
The lone run for Gilroy came in the second inning on a passed ball to second base, scoring Kevin Grove off of a Lukas Fortino single. Palma took the lead and the game through a two-run fifth inning after tying the contest 1-1 in the bottom of the second. Gilroy’s Taylor Chris was given the loss but did a solid job on the hill, striking out six batters while allowing two runs in five innings of work. Chad Caraccioli got the win for Palma.
Wheeler noted that the heart of the batting order, those in slots two through five, went a combined 0-12 at the plate Saturday.
In order to beat the Chieftains (13-5, 7-2 TCAL) in the second game of the back-to-back, which starts today at 4 p.m. in Gilroy, the Mustangs (7-11, 5-2) will need to put together a complete game, something the squad hasn’t achieved since a 13-5 victory over Saratoga on St. Patrick’s Day. The challenge will only get greater later in the week when the Mustangs face rival San Benito (13-4, 6-0) Thursday and Saturday.
Wheeler said his players remain confident in their abilities, and simply need to take the one-game-at-a-time approach.
“I would hope we’re worried about getting the win (against Palma) and not thinking too far down the road,” he said.
