San Benito baseball team shoots for ninth straight win as Palma
comes to town looking for payback
Hollister – The streak stands at eight. Eight consecutive wins for the San Benito baseball team.
The run has featured victories over every one of the Haybalers’ Tri-County Athletic League opponents, including two each over Sobrato and Salinas, and was punctuated by a three-wins-in-three-days stretch last week.
The outcomes have often been lopsided. The ‘Balers won the eight games by a combined score of 76-15, shutting out North Salinas and holding their opponent to just one run in four other games.
San Benito now sits atop the league standings with a record of 10-1 and hopes to solidify its first-place status by extending its streak this afternoon.
But standing between the ‘Balers and win No. 9 lies a formidable Palma team intent on payback.
Five days ago, the first ‘Baler-Chieftain showdown lived up to its billing through the first six innings. The teams traded the lead three times, with host Palma scoring three in the sixth to take a 5-4 lead.
But in its final at bat, San Benito (14-2) unleashed a torrent of runs that broke the game wide open. Fifteen batters and 11 runs later, the ‘Balers left town with a resounding 15-5 victory.
Because his team snapped Palma’s six-game winning streak and handed their rivals their first TCAL loss, San Benito head coach Michael Luna believes the Chieftains are coming to Hollister determined to settle the score.
“I know they’re going to be up for it,” Luna said. “I know Palma’s a little shell-shocked after that 11-run inning.”
The next day, the ‘Balers immediately found that life on top won’t be a picnic. After pounding Sobrato and Palma’s pitchers the previous two days for a combined 34 runs, San Benito was held scoreless by host Salinas though four innings on Saturday.
The Cowboys (8-5, 4-4 TCAL) scored two in the second and took a 3-0 lead heading into the fifth, but a leadoff double by junior Kevin Medeiros jump-started the ‘Balers’ offense. Center fielder Jacob Boyd reached on an infield throwing error, sliding into first base, and then Medeiros scored on a Salinas balk. Following a walk to first baseman Breyon Canez, San Benito got the big blow that propelled it to the win.
Second baseman Karson Klauer pummeled a ball into the wind, clearing the left-center fence with a three-run home run to put the ‘Balers up 4-3.
Salinas threatened in the bottom of the seventh, putting runners at the corners with one out, but winning pitcher Ryan McFall induced a pop-up that Canez turned into a game-ending double play.
“It was a huge game,” San Benito assistant coach Curtis Heen said of the ‘Balers’ 4-3 win. “It was a huge momentum swing.”
After winning its second come-from-behind game in as many days and completing the rainout-induced, three-game stretch a perfect 3-0, the ‘Balers entered Spring Break knowing they would have only one league game in the next 12 days. But what an important game it is.
With Palma (9-2, 7-1 TCAL) right on its heels, San Benito has more at stake in today’s 4pm contest in Hollister than simply its winning streak. Should two teams finish the league season with the same record, the team with the advantage in head-to-head match-ups will win the tiebreaker. With a win in this second of three meetings with the Chieftains, San Benito would already own the season series – not to mention gain the psychological advantage – over Palma.
“It’s not make-or-break or do-or-die, but … it’s another important game,” Luna said.
With first pitch set for 4pm in Hollister, Heen said the ‘Balers are ready to go.
“They’re pretty high and they just want to ride this crest as far as they can take it,” Heen said. “Ride it like a wave.”
