HOLLISTER—In terms of rivalries, one would be hard-pressed to find a better one than Gilroy vs. San Benito baseball.
The teams play twice each year, and both programs are competitive, with the Haybalers being one of the perennial powers in the Central Coast Section.
“Hollister can win the WCAL in my opinion,” Mustangs coach Billy Holler said, referring to the vaunted West Catholic Athletic League, which many observers cite as one of the best high school leagues in the entire country.
The Balers certainly played like a championship-caliber squad on Tuesday, as they rolled to a 12-0, mercy-rule win in a Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division opener.
San Benito (5-1 overall, 1-0) invoked the mercy rule with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning when Andrew Sotelo drew a bases-loaded walk to score Junior Rodriguez.
The Balers received another stellar pitching performance from starter Jorge Acosta, who tossed three shutout innings. Tommy Hernandez closed things out with two scoreless innings to preserve the shutout.
“Jorge and Tommy both threw strikes and let our defense do the work,” Balers coach Billy Aviles said. “You can’t ask for much more than that. We wanted to get in more pitchers, but obviously ran out of time.”
Speaking of time, the game actually went on a little longer than usual, as the mercy rule is invoked when a team leads by 10 runs or more after five innings. Holler looked at the game’s extension as a benefit.
“That’s the umpire’s job, not me, and I’m not going to make him do his job,” Holler said, when asked why the game wasn’t called when the score was 10-0. “We get more of an opportunity to play against a good baseball team, so why wouldn’t we?”
Acosta and Hernandez limited Gilroy (1-3, 0-1) to just two hits, while San Benito totaled 11. The teams combined for a whopping seven errors, but it was the Balers who made the Mustangs pay for their mistakes.
The first inning was a microcosm of the game, as Zack Moeller, a University of Utah-signee, blasted a three-run homer with no out in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Garret Kelly reached on an error, and No. 2 hitter Connor Fabing was hit by a pitch, setting up Moeller’s home run.
Here’s how well things went for the Balers: Kelly, Fabing and Moeller reached base in each of their four plate appearances, and No. 6 hitter Drew Williams also reached base all four times, producing two singles and two walks.
Moeller had a game-best four RBI, and every player in the San Benito lineup had at least one hit. Combine that with the fact that Gilroy pitchers Justin hale and Alex Benavides walked nine batters and hit two more, and the result was a blowout.
Despite the loss, Holler said he expects a lot of growth from a relatively inexperienced team this season. Gilroy started three freshmen—Jon Jon Castro, Dylan Hsu and Benavides—in Tuesday’s game.
“We’ve got a good, young team with great attitudes, and we’ve got a good future in front of us,” he said. “I think we can pitch and hit, but we’ve got to play some defense.”
Holler said the Mustangs will rely on a three-man starting rotation of Hale, Jimmy Lemberger and Tommy Castro. Gilroy dealt San Benito its only loss in MBL Gabilan Division play a year ago, and Holler hopes Tuesday’s defeat can be used as a learning experience moving forward.
“Hollister is a team you want to play against,” he said. “Those guys have a ton of great athletes and they’re well-coached, and we have to find a way to compete in this situation.”
Speaking of competing, that’s exactly what Acosta has done in his senior year. Unable to play the last two years because of ineligibility, the 6-foot, 180-pound right-hander is making up for lost time.
Early in the season, Acosta has established himself as a frontline ace-type pitcher who can be relied upon to consistently pound the strike zone and keep his cool under pressure.
To wit: Gilroy had runners on second and third base with one out in the top of the second, only to see Acosta get out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout.
“When a pitcher can throw every pitch for strikes, it makes everything that much better,” Aviles said.
Acosta expressed gratitude for being able to play this season. He throws a fastball in the low to mid-80s, but also has a tremendous slider and forkball in his pitching repertoire. Most of all, he’s excited to be a part of a team that will contend for a CCS championship.
“It feels good to be back with the team,” Acosta said. “It’s an amazing feeling because I love these guys. And playing against Gilroy was nice because it got pretty intense out there. It felt great to play against our rivals. We’re going to continue to work hard and see where it takes us.”
