HOLLISTER
Following their narrow 5-4 victory over host Salinas last Tuesday, the San Benito High baseball team returned home to Hollister Friday and pounded out 11 hits, and took advantage of 13 free bases, en route to an easy 16-5 win against the Cowboys.
Darin Gillies (5IP, 8H, 5R, 4ER, 7K) earned the win in the shortened five-inning affair.
Gillies received all the run support he’d need during San Benito’s nine-run second inning, which saw RBI doubles from Tyler Provost and Trevor Fabing. Teammate Isaak Ramos, who led off the second frame with a single, later cleared the bases with a grand slam.
Ramos finished the game 4-for-4 with five RBI. Provost was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI, while Fabing was 2-for-4 with two doubles.
“I gave him a chance to start last Saturday against Aptos,” San Benito Michael Luna said. “He had a couple of hits against Aptos, one being a home run, and I gave him a start on Tuesday and he got a two-run double.
“On Friday, he got four hits.”
The ‘Balers tacked on seven more runs against Salinas – four in the third and three more in the fourth – before the game was called after the top half of the fifth inning due to the 10-run rule.
From a narrow win to a landslide win, Luna said the difference was the 13 frees bases Salinas committed Friday – hitting five batters and walking another eight.
“We hit the ball really well, too,” Luna added. “Obviously, Isaak Ramos had a very good day at the plate.”
One day later, on Saturday, San Benito connected on 11 more hits in another easy 13-2 win against visiting North Salinas.
The ‘Balers put up a three-spot in the first frame when Kyle Zozaya hit a solo homer and Provost later followed with an RBI single that scored two after an error.
The Vikings would cut the lead to one run heading to the bottom of the fourth inning, 3-2, but San Benito exploded for seven runs and a commanding lead in the following frame.
“They had a players meeting,” Luna said. “But we talked about it before the game – no let-ups.”
The ‘Balers added three more in the fifth when Steve Cabral hit a three-run homer that put San Benito ahead by 11 runs.
The game was called at that point due to the 10-run rule. Cabral (5IP, 2R, 4H, 2BB, 1HBP, 6K) earned the win on the mound.
“He settled down after the first two innings and dominated the third, fourth and fifth innings,” said Luna of Cabral, who had five of his six strikeouts in the last three innings.
San Benito (6-1 TCAL, 11-3-1 overall) will visit North Salinas Tuesday, where Jacob Eichhorn is expected to start. However, Luna may turn to a pitcher-by-committee in order to prepare for Gilroy later this week.
SALINAS – 004 010 0 – 5 8 3
SAN BENITO – 094 300 0 – 16 11 0
WP: D. Gillies
N SALINAS – 110 00X X – 2 4 3
SAN BENITO – 300 73X X -13 11 0
WP: S. Cabral
