Hollister American 10-11 All-Stars fall in opener to Lincoln
Glen; team needs to rebound today to keep hope of section
championship alive
San Jose – After an undefeated run to the District 9 championship last week, the Hollister American 10-11 All Stars entered the Little League Section 5 tournament brimming with confidence. But after a humbling 6-2 defeat to Lincoln Glen at Eastridge Little League field Friday, Hollister American was left searching for answers and needing to regroup quickly.
Falling into the loser’s bracket, Hollister American takes the field at Oakridge Little League field this afternoon fighting for its playoff life after a costly stumble against Lincoln Glen.
After a full week off on the heels of their district championship, some Hollister American players thought it just took too long to shake out the cobwebs.
“I think we might have been rusty for not playing for a week,” said starting pitcher Craig Slibsager, who also said his team struggled in the unaccustomed role of playing from behind. “It’s really hard because people get down. They put their heads down because they think we’re going to lose.”
Though the game remained scoreless until Lincoln Glen struck for three runs in the top of the third inning, the warning signs were there early for Hollister American. Two infield errors in the first put Hollister American in a first-and-third jam, but Slibsager prevented any lasting damage by striking out Marquis Onorato to end the threat.
Hollister American looked to be in good shape after third baseman Richie Beltran drew a leadoff walk in the second, but Lincoln Glen showed off its fielding prowess as starting pitcher Justin Bruce gloved a smash by Skyler Shaw-Fuss and then lobbed the ball to first to double off Beltran, one of two double plays Lincoln Glen recorded in the six-inning game. Shortstop Dalan Hoskins followed with a smash that rolled all the way to the right-field wall, but Lincoln Glen executed a perfect 9-4-6 relay to nail Hoskins at second.
After giving up a double and a single to start the third, Hollister American fell victim to a big blow, as Lincoln Glen’s Tucker Bacon slammed a three-run home run to left.
A one-out ground-rule double by John Barrera got the offense started for Hollister American in the bottom of the third and then second baseman Ray Rueda drove him in with a first-pitch single to center, pulling Hollister American within 3-1.
But Lincoln Glen batted around in the fourth, using just two hits to score three more runs as it benefited from three walks and another infield error.
“Our defense was a little flat,” Shaw-Fuss said. “I thought we’d do a little better than we did.”
Manager Dave Slibsager said his team’s struggles weren’t limited to its fielding.
“I just think it was nervous energy, anxiety, just wanted to get after it too quick,” Slibsager said. “A lot of kids were anxious and that gets you off balance, hard to get a good swing.”
Hollister American relievers Ryan Christian and Beltran shut down Lincoln Glen in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively. After Lincoln Glen’s Michael Johnston drew a two-out walk, catcher Shaw-Fuss gave Christian a big assist by nailing Johnston with a perfect throw to Hoskins at second in an attempted steal.
Slibsager, who switched to center field after throwing four innings, launched a solo home run in the sixth, a blast that cleared the scoreboard to the right of the 190-foot sign in left field.
But Lincoln Glen, which won its opener on Thursday, had built up too large a lead for Hollister American to mount a serious threat.
After suffering their first loss, Slibsager, the team’s manager, said his players understand they need to raise the level of their game to extend their postseason run.
“We can’t make the mistakes we made (Friday) in the field, pitching, base running or batting,” Slibsager said. “They know that for us to continue playing, they’re going to have to get better focus and respond better, offensively and defensively. The chemistry is there, so I suspect we’ll do a lot better (today).”
Hollister American plays this afternoon at Oakridge Little League field in San Jose this afternoon at 1pm. At press time, Hollister American’s opponent was unknown.
