San Benito atones for sole TCAL loss with 11-1 blowout of
Gilroy; Canez pitches three hitter, goes 4-for-4 at the plate
After suffering an embarrassing 12-5 loss at Gilroy earlier this month, the San Benito baseball team vowed that its next meeting with the Mustangs would be different. Yesterday, the Haybalers backed up their words with a dominant performance on the field.
San Benito atoned for its lone Tri-County Athletic League loss by pummeling the Mustangs to the tune of a 11-1 blowout. The ‘Balers (9-2, 5-1 TCAL) scored in all of the four innings they needed to invoke the 10-run rule, and saw all of its batters reach base at least once.
Starting pitcher Breyon Canez starred at the plate, as well as on the mound. The senior followed up his one-hit gem against Salinas with a three hitter yesterday, and also raked Gilroy’s pitchers with his 4-for-4 showing at bat. Canez singled and scored in both the first and the second innings, doubled and crossed the plate again in the third, and added a home run for good measure in the fourth.
“After the first game, they had the hammer on us,” said Canez. “They got us pretty good last time. We just had to come out blazing and put it to ’em in the beginning.”
It was Gilroy (5-5, 3-2 TCAL) that jumped out in front first, scoring in its opening at bat on a walk and a pair of two-out singles, but San Benito didn’t let the Mustangs’ lead last long.
Canez and Karson Klauer singled off Gilroy starter Jacob Dexter to get the ‘Balers’ offense going in the bottom of the first, and then a succession of two-out walks and hit batsmen fueled the rest of the early offense.
San Benito catcher Travis Ross walked on four pitches and then Brian Haggett was struck by a pitch to force in Canez, tying the game at 1-1. Seemingly undone by a few close calls by the umpire, Dexter walked Josh Torrise and Justin Andrade to allow in two more runs, and then hit Jacob Boyd with a pitch before being pulled for reliever Drew Anderson.
Anderson retired Kolton Klauer, who was batting for the second time in the inning, to retire the side, but the damage had been done. With just two hits, San Benito had taken a 4-1 lead.
“That was pretty big for us,” said shortstop Sky Valenzuela of answering the Mustangs’ early score. “Jump on them as soon as you can.”
And the ‘Balers’ offensive fireworks had only begun. Canez led off the second with a single off Anderson’s glove and scored on Valenzuela’s double to the rightfield wall. Two more walks and another hit batter forced in Valenzuela, signaling a long afternoon for Gilroy and head coach Clint Wheeler.
“We knew they’d be ready,” said Wheeler. “They were primed and ready to go.”
After allowing a single to Josh Sterling to open the Mustangs’ second, Canez pitched lights-out the rest of the way. The lefthander set down the next 12 batters in order to wrap up the complete game. Canez finished with five strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter.
“It all starts with the guy on the bump,” said San Benito head coach Michael Luna. “He was exceptional again today.”
Kolton Klauer became the last Haybaler to reach base, but did so in dramatic fashion, clubbing a three-run home run over the leftfield fence in the fourth.
Most remarkable for the ‘Balers was the production they received from the bottom of their batting order. The No. 6-9 hitters (Haggett, Torrise, Andrade and Boyd) reached base a staggering nine times in their combined 12 plate appearances.
“That’s what you want from the bottom of your lineup,” said a smiling Luna. “If we can have that production every game, we’re going to be tough to beat.”
In addition to Canez out-hitting the Mustang batters that he dominated from the mound and his scoring four runs on eight total bases, the ‘Balers succeeded offensively by mastering the strike zone. No other San Benito batter had multiple hits, but the team recorded six walks in its four at bats.
Valenzuela talked about the team’s emotion after handing its rival a decisive loss.
“We were really excited,” said Valenzuela, who finished 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs. “The first time we played them, we weren’t really playing our game, so this time we wanted to show them who we really are.”
The ‘Balers take their three-game winning streak into Tuesday’s contest against North Salinas. San Benito prevailed 15-4 over the Vikings (2-8-1, 0-5-1 TCAL) in the teams’ first meeting. Tuesday’s game in Hollister is set to begin at 3:30pm.
