A triple each from Daniel Arevalo and Dustin Rovella and a
complete-game pitching performance from Bryan Granger helped lift
the San Benito High baseball team to a 7-3 victory over Wilcox
Monday night in the opening round of the Crown Classic, hosted by
Valley Christian.
SAN JOSE
A triple each from Daniel Arevalo and Dustin Rovella, an inside-the-park home run by Marcus Sabatte and a complete-game pitching performance from Bryan Granger helped lift the San Benito High baseball team to a 7-3 victory over Wilcox Monday night in the opening round of the Crown Classic, hosted by Valley Christian.
Arevalo was 2 of 4 with an RBI and a run scored to go along with his triple, while Rovella was 2 of 3 with an RBI and a run scored as well.
Granger, meanwhile, allowed three earned runs on four hits over seven innings pitched, striking out four batters to pick up the win.
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Granger (7IP, 4H, 3ER, 2BB, 4K, 1WP, 1HBP) received run support to the tune of four runs through the first two innings, as well as a 3-spot in the fifth that supplied the Balers with the four-run win.
The team is now 15-5 overall.
One of the craziest sequences manager Jason Bugg has seen transpired in the home half of the first inning for the Balers. Trailing 2-0 and following a walk to Ryan Jacob, Marcus Sabatte swung and missed at strike three. But Wilcox’s catcher failed to catch the strike-three offering, and Sabatte ran to first as a result.
The throw to first was overthrown, however, and Sabatte sprinted to second. He was on his way to third when the throw from right field again resulted in an error at third base, and Sabatte, who technically had struck out, ran home for an inside-the-park home run.
“He slid in safely. An inside-the-park homer on a strikeout,” Bugg said.
The two runs plated by San Benito on the play knotted the game at 2-all.
“We were feeling good at that point,” Bugg said. “Granger started to shut them down.”
Wilcox plated two runs in the home half of the first against Granger, but the senior hurler settled down and allowed just a single run over the remaining six innings.
At the plate, Sabatte went 2 of 4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored, Darin Gillies was 1 of 3 with an RBI, and Ryan Jacob drew two walks and plated two runs.
It was San Benito’s first game since an April 15 win over Salinas, but Bugg, who was a little concerned with the long layoff, said the Balers shook off any rust almost immediately.
“It didn’t take long for us to get back to it — that attack mode,” Bugg said.
The Balers (12-3 TCAL), who won’t return to league play until next week, will return to the Crown Classic tournament on Wednesday against Bellarmine. First pitch is 3:30 p.m. at Valley Christian High in San Jose.
WILC — 201 000 0 — 3 4 3
SANB — 220 030 X — 7 7 2
WP: B. Granger
