Round up: Alumni game, a knock out and a lost ‘Open’
Galvan game plenty of fun
After rounding the bases, Nick Ramos, class of ’03 at San Benito
High School, stepped on home plate and pointed one finger to the
heavens.
Blasting a left-field homer in the eighth inning of the fifth
annual PJ Galvan Alumni Classic last Saturday, Ramos supplied the
alumni team with a two-run cushion over the varsity squad, a
two-run lead they would not relinquish.
Round up: Alumni game, a knock out and a lost ‘Open’
Galvan game plenty of fun
After rounding the bases, Nick Ramos, class of ’03 at San Benito High School, stepped on home plate and pointed one finger to the heavens.
Blasting a left-field homer in the eighth inning of the fifth annual PJ Galvan Alumni Classic last Saturday, Ramos supplied the alumni team with a two-run cushion over the varsity squad, a two-run lead they would not relinquish.
“When I hit it, I automatically thought of him,” said Ramos, of Galvan. “This is all for PJ. This is why we came out. This was his favorite place.”
Coming out to support Galvan, a former Haybaler who was tragically killed in a car accident in 2003, the alumni team added to their win total from recent years – they’ve won every year but one since the event’s inception – with a 7-5 victory over the current SBHS varsity squad.
The alumni classic is a fundraiser, with all the proceeds going to a memorial scholarship in Galvan’s name, as well as to the SBHS baseball program.
Former Baler Brian Rossi broke the game open in the first inning, connecting on a two-run single, while the alumni team plated four more in the fourth to make it 6-0 early.
Before it got out of hand, though, the varsity team cut the deficit to just one run when Brian Haggett hit a bases-clearing triple in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs to make it 6-5.
After Ramos’ solo homer in the eighth gave the alumni a two-run edge, the varsity team loaded the bases with just one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, but couldn’t plate the tying run.
“That’s exactly what we we’re looking for,” said alumni coach Nick Gonzales, class of ’04. “We wanted a quick, close ball game. Everybody had a good time. But it’s to honor [Galvan]. He was a big part of our life in baseball.”
Galvan was certainly a part of Ramos’ life, as the two were best friends growing up, and even made up the left side of the infield their senior years at SBHS.
Admittedly not a power hitter, Ramos said after the game he probably got a little help from a friend.
“For the man up top. You know he’s looking down on us,” said Ramos, who attends Sonoma State and plays on the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox. “He probably helped me on it. I don’t have much power. But right when I hit it, I thought of him. That’s my boy.”
Jeffries says ‘Goodnite’ to Mohs
Hollister boxer Kelsey “The Road Warrior” Jeffries connected on a left hook to the stomach last Thursday, and delivered the fourth knockout of her career when she defeated Jessica “Goodnite” Mohs at the Seven Feathers Casino and Hotel Resort in Canyonville, Ore.
In a non-title fight, Jeffries returned to the ring after a six-month layoff. The IFBA Featherweight champion was focusing on her studies at Gavilan College since her previous fight on Dec. 23, but her return to the ring was highlighted by the single body blow in the fourth round.
“She kind of bent over but didn’t actually fall down,” Jeffries said. “I kept hitting her in the head and the referee came in and said, ‘Stop! Stop! Stop!’ She didn’t go down, so I kept hitting her.”
Jeffries improves to 41-9-1 in her career, and is slated to fight at Seven Feathers on Nov. 1. She is seeking an additional fight, though, sometime in August or September.
Ellis falls short of mark at U.S. Open
John Ellis missed the cut at the U.S. Open by just two strokes last week, after he finished with a 9-over 151 through 36 holes.
Ellis, who graduated from Live Oak in Morgan Hill and later attended Gavilan College, carded a 6-over 77 on Thursday and a 3-over 74 on Friday at San Diego’s Torrey Pines Golf Course.
In total, Ellis had two birdies, seven bogeys and two double-bogeys through 36 holes of golf.
