Gavilan had a rare luxury Saturday of actually playing almost an
entire game with the lead.
Gavilan had a rare luxury Saturday of actually playing almost an entire game with the lead.
Daniel Salinas saw to that with a first-inning grand slam.
“It allows you to do different things,” coach Neal Andrade said. “When you’re down four, five runs you’re playing catch-up and waiting for the one big hit.”
Salinas’ big hit was the catalyst to a 5-4 win Coast Conference win over San Jose City College.
Left-hander and San Benito product Brian Rossi was able to hold the lead and the defense played error-free in a game that boosted the Rams to 8-13 overall, 2-6 in conference. Shayne Christman had two hits for Gavilan.
“Rossi pitched strong,” Andrade said. “He held the lead for us. He got the punch-outs when he needed them most. And he was around the plate.”
Rossi struck out seven and walked two.
After Gavilan grabbed its 4-0 lead, the Jaguars chipped away scoring single runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings to pull within a run.
The Rams then manufactured a seventh-inning run as Gilroy High product Drew Andersen walked, was sacrificed to second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored as Efrain Ruiz grounded a single up the middle against a drawn-in infield for his team-leading 10th RBI in conference. SJCC scored once more in the eighth, but Rossi hung tough.
“It’s tough to keep team morale and to practice hard when you don’t get wins,” Andrade said. “Win streaks are just as easy to put together as losing streaks. Maybe this is our time.”
The Rams have a busy week with three games in the next five days. Gavilan hosts Monterey Peninsula College at 2pm today, looking to reverse as 6-5 defeat earlier in the season to MPC.
