The Major Division Hollister All-Stars avoided elimination with
9-1 victory over Aptos on Wednesday night in Watsonville.
The Major Division Hollister All-Stars avoided elimination with 9-1 victory over Aptos on Wednesday night in Watsonville.
The win forces a winner-take-all championship game at 6 p.m. Thursday to decided the Section 5 champion. It will be the third game between the two squads. Aptos beat Hollister 18-1 earlier in the tournament.
But on Wednesday, it was a different story for Hollister.
Behind strong pitching from Davonte Bulter and four home runs, Hollister never trailed. Butler threw all six innings, allowing only five hits and striking out eight batters.
At the plate, Hollister had 12 hits and scoring started early in the first inning. After a lead-off double by Butler, Drew Williams smacked a double into the left-center gap, driving in the run.
In the second inning, Dante Tomasini hit a deep home run to centerfield to lengthen the Hollister lead. The game remained close until the fifth inning when Hollister sent eight batters to the plate and scored five runs.
The fifth inning started with home run off the bat of Garret Bourdet. The next four Hollister batters reached base, highlighted by another home run – this time by Williams.
The championship game is at 6 p.m. Thursday in Watsonville’s Ruso Field.
