With the exception of one game, an 11-9 win over Watsonville on March 15, the San Benito High baseball team has limited opponents to five runs or less in every contest. The pitching staff has no doubt been the strength of a team that was 8-4 overall and 6-2 in league play in advance of Thursday’s home game against Palma.
“Our pitching has been outstanding,” Haybalers coach Billy Aviles said. “Hopefully we can stay on a roll.”
Junior left-hander Diego Fisher has been nothing short of dynamite this season. Last Thursday Fisher threw five innings of shutout ball, allowing just two hits while striking out nine and walking just one in a 3-2 win over Salinas. Fisher out-dueled Salinas starter Ryan Jensen, a Fresno State-signee.
“Diego hits his spots and doesn’t miss,” Aviles said.
Fisher possesses a solid fastball and nasty change-up, and he mixes his speeds well. That makes it hard for hitters to gain any rhythm or edge on the lefty. Fisher’s fastball has plenty of movement, making it hard for batters to make solid contact. Fisher has only given up two runs all season, and he combined with Matt Hill on a no-hitter in a 6-0 win over Monterey on March 18.
“Diego can move the ball up and down, and in and out of the zone with all of his pitches,” Aviles said.
The Balers have also received stellar pitching efforts from starter Tyler Triano and relievers Daniel Hopkins and Matt Hill. Triano tossed a complete-game shutout against Salinas on April 5, yielding just three hits while striking out seven in a masterful performance.
Hopkins and Hill have been strong out of the bullpen, as Aviles can bring in either player and know they’ll pound the strike zone and stay aggressive. Offensively, it’s going to be one of those years where the Balers have to be resourceful and manufacture runs with a small-ball approach.
San Benito doesn’t have a slugger who can consistently hit home runs on a moment’s notice, so they’ll need to utilize its speed and make heady decisions on the basepaths to score runs. Last Thursday’s victory over Salinas was a classic case in the Balers doing just that, as Hopkins led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single.
Hill followed with a walk before Davonte Butler put down a sacrifice bunt that advanced Hopkins to third base. Hopkins scored moments later on a Mason Marquez single.
“We try to play a high-pressure offense,” Aviles said. “We hit and run, sacrifice guys over and hopefully get that big hit when we need to.”
The Balers have struggled offensively at times this season, putting several runners in scoring position only to leave them stranded. If the Balers are to win their 12th league championship in the last 13 years and make a deep push in the Central Coast Section playoffs, they’ll need their offense to pick things up.
The team has only four starters—Drew Williams, Butler, Fisher and Hopkins—who are hitting above. 300. This season the Balers have been nothing short of edge-of-your-seat exciting, as nine of their 12 games have been decided by two runs or less. San Benito is 5-4 in such contests, and there’s plenty of reason to believe the team will be involved in several more close nail-biting affairs the rest of the season.
