Darin Gillies struck out eight and the San Benito baseball team
moved its magic number to one on Friday with a convincing 5-1
victory over host Salinas in Tri-County Athletic League action.
SALINAS
Darin Gillies struck out eight and the San Benito baseball team moved its magic number to one on Friday with a convincing 5-1 victory over host Salinas in Tri-County Athletic League action.
The junior hurler had a one-hitter going into the seventh inning when a leadoff walk preceded a pair of base hits for the Cowboys, who didn’t score until later in the inning on a fielder’s choice that plated Salinas’ one and only run.
“But that was the only time he had trouble, if you want to call it trouble,” San Benito manager Michael Luna said.
The Balers already boasted a five-run lead at that point, and Gillies (7IP, 3H, 1R, 8K, 3BB), who pitched a complete game, closed the door on the Cowboys later in the inning.
The Baler ace, who made a verbal commitment to Arizona State University last Monday, allowed three hits in the contest, two of which never left the infield.
“He pretty much dominated the entire game,” Luna said of Gillies, who improves to 4-0 in the TCAL with a 0.61 earned run average.
The win ups San Benito’s record to 13-0 in the TCAL, 17-4 overall.
With a four-game lead in the loss column over both Gilroy and Palma, and just five games remaining, any win by the Balers or loss to both Gilroy and Palma will give San Benito a share of the TCAL title, while a pair of Balers wins or a pair of losses to both Gilroy and Palma would supply San Benito with the TCAL title outright.
The Balers have five games remaining, four of which will come against Gilroy and Palma. The Balers will visit the Chieftains on Wednesday in Salinas at 4 p.m.
Last Friday, meanwhile, San Benito posted three runs in the third and supplied Gillies with all the run support he would need early on in the game.
After Justin Schlie and Trevor Fabing both singled on, Ricky Garcia sacrificed both runners over and Mark Hurley connected on a two-RBI single to left field. Nick Acosta then singled Hurley over into scoring position, who later scored on a pass ball by Salinas.
A pair of walks to Ryan Sabattini and Gillies opened the fourth inning, and Schlie trailed with a sacrifice to push both runners into scoring position. Fabing then hit a line drive that ricocheted off the shortstop’s glove and into center field, scoring Sabattini from third base.
San Benito added a fifth run in the sixth when Acosta hit an RBI single to center field to score Garcia.
Salinas, meanwhile, falls to fourth place in the TCAL with an 8-5 record, 13-9 overall.
SANB — 003 101 0 — 5 11 0
SALN — 000 000 1 — 1 3 2
