Despite a three-run lead after the opening frame, the San Benito
Haybalers could not stave off host Palma on Wednesday as they
suffered their first defeat in Tri-County Athletic League play with
a 4-3 loss to the rival Chieftains.
SALINAS
Despite a three-run lead after the opening frame, the San Benito Haybalers could not stave off host Palma on Wednesday as they suffered their first defeat in Tri-County Athletic League play with a 4-3 loss to the rival Chieftains.
After Trevor Fabing and Ricky Garcia both singled on to start the game, Mark Hurley and Nick Acosta followed with RBI singles to put the Balers up 2-0, while later in that same inning San Benito’s Isaak Ramos grounded out to short with runners in scoring position, scoring Hurley from third base.
But Palma pitcher D.J. Slaton, a Hollister resident, retired the next 13 batters he faced. Slaton allowed just six hits in the game, four of which came in the first inning.
“Their pitcher was really good after the first inning,” San Benito manager Michael Luna said of Slaton. “After those four consecutive hits, we only had two more hits and one was an infield hit.”
With Slaton keeping San Benito silent for most of the game, the Chieftains responded in the fourth inning with four unearned runs.
Starting pitcher Bryan Granger (3.2IP, 5H, 4K, 2BB, 0ER) managed to get the first two hitters to ground out in the inning. However, the next four batters all reached base — two by walk, the other two by errors — leading to two runs for Palma and a 3-2 San Benito lead.
“But Granger threw well,” Luna said. “I thought he threw very, very well.”
Luna brought in Kyle Vallejo (2.1IP, 2H, 3K, 1BB, 0ER) at that point with the bases loaded, and although the senior hurler got out of the inning, it wasn’t until after Palma’s No. 3 hitter connected on a 2-RBI double to give the Chieftains the one-run lead.
San Benito had a chance in the fifth to reclaim the lead when it had two runners on with one out, but base running mistakes ensured the inning yielded no run support.
“That was obviously a big, big key there,” Luna said of the fifth frame.
The loss is the first of the league season for San Benito (13-1 TCAL, 17-6). It not only snaps a seven-game winning streak, but it also keeps the door slightly ajar for second-place teams Palma and Gilroy, which are now both three games behind the Balers in the loss column with four games to play.
“We’ve just got to let it go and regroup tomorrow,” Luna said.
The Balers will have another crack at Palma on Friday when they will host the Salinas school in Hollister at 4 p.m. Darin Gillies is expected to start for San Benito.
SANB — 300 000 0 — 3 6 2
PALM — 000 400 X — 4 7 1
