The San Benito 16-18s Babe Ruth All-Stars were eliminated from
the Regionals on Monday night after losing a two-run lead in the
seventh inning to Modesto.
The San Benito 16-18s Babe Ruth All-Stars were eliminated from the Regionals on Monday night after losing a two-run lead in the seventh inning to Modesto.
The Modesto All-Stars scored three runs in the final frame to eliminate San Benito by a 5-4 score. San Benito was only two wins shy of the Regional championship game.
San Benito started the scoring early in the first inning with three straight singles. Jacob Tonascia knocked in the first run with a hard single to the outfield. Tonascia finished the game with three hits and one RBI.
San Benito scored one more run on a two-out single by starting pitcher Skyler Shaw-Fuss.
San Benito held that lead until the fifth inning when Modesto tied the game at two. San Benito struck right back in the bottom of the inning, forcing an error from Modesto. The untimely error eventually brought in the San Benito go-ahead run.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, San Benito added another run on another Modesto error.
“They started kicking the ball around and we took advantage,” San Benito manager Andrew Barragan said. “They had one error in the fifth and one error in the sixth, and both resulted in runs.”
But in the top of the seventh inning things started to turn against San Benito.
“It was a heartbreaker,” Barragan said.
Shaw-Fuss, who had thrown over 100 pitches, began to walk batters – eventually loading the bases with one out. Shaw-Fuss finished the game throwing 6 and one-thirds innings, allowing only four hits and striking out five.
But after a pitching change in the seventh, and a walk to bring the San Benito lead to one, Modesto took the lead on a fluke play.
With a full count, the Modesto batter hit a hard ground ball to the pitcher Rob Soto. The high bouncer hit off Soto’s glove and trickled behind him.
The deflection allowed the runners at third base and second base to score, giving Modesto a 5-4 lead.
“If he was an inch taller he would have gotten it,” Barragan said. “If he was an inch shorter he would have missed it. He just reacted to the ball.”
San Benito went quietly in the bottom of the inning.
Despite the loss, Barragan thought it was a pleasant surprise to even get that far in the tournament because of the team’s age.
“It was … I don’t want to say a surprise but I was surprised to just get to four games in the regional tournament,” he said. “Our pitchers were solid. It was pitching that kept us in that tournament.”
Barragan expects the team to make it back next year and go even further.
“They’ll be back,” he said. “Most of the players have at least two more years to play at this level. They’ll have a chance.”
