When Connor Fabing’s sacrifice-fly plated Drew Williams to give the San Benito High baseball team a 13-3 lead over Bellarmine with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, the two umpires looked at each other for a short time, unsure of the situation.
After a pause, the home plate umpire signaled game over, with the 10-run, 5-inning mercy-rule a staple in Central Coast Section playoff games. It’s not often a team from the West Catholic League is on the receiving end of such a beatdown, but that’s exactly what happened Wednesday in a CCS Open Division playoff-opener.
Despite committing three errors, the No. 3 seed Haybalers (22-7) whipped the No. 14 seed Bells (17-11). San Benito, which improved to 5-5 against WCAL teams in the playoffs since 2009, plays No. 11 Soquel (23-5) at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Hartnell College in a quarterfinal contest. Soquel edged another WCAL squad, Valley Christian, 1-0, in the first round.
“Any time you play a West Catholic school, it’s tough,” Balers coach Billy Aviles said. “You never expect a lopsided score like this.”
Especially not after Bellarmine took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. However, Riley Lange’s two-run single ignited a five-run outburst in the bottom half, and the Balers erupted for six more runs in the third to effectively seal the outcome.
In addition to Lange’s single, a squeeze bunt from Josh Harris and a safety squeeze bunt from Williams highlighted a game in which the Balers were nearly flawless in their offensive execution.
The San Benito hitters did a much better job than their Bellarmine counterparts of taking advantage of the home plate umpire’s small strike zone.
“The kids put some good swings on some very hittable pitches,” Aviles said. “The kids got good pitches to hit in plus counts, and they squared some balls up.”
Especially Fabing, who launched a solo home run to jump-start the Balers’ six-run third. Fabing also started the game and allowed just one earned run over three innings. So not only did Fabing start the game, but he closed things out with a sacrifice-fly.
Fabing, who bats left and throws right, has been the team’s most dependable pitcher since early in the league season. The senior went 5-1 in Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division play.
Whether it’s with the bat or on the mound, Fabing has done it all this season. Even though the Balers don’t have as star-studded a roster from a year ago, they’re plenty capable of making a deep run in the playoffs.
“If we do the same things we did today, we’ll be fine,” Fabing said.
Leadoff hitter Garret Kelly and No. 2 hitter Drew Williams combined for six hits and five RBI. Harris and Zack Moeller also had two hits each as the Balers outhit the Bells, 14-6.
San Benito won going away despite committing three errors, as Fabing and relievers Jorge Acosta and Diego Fisher were able to pitch out of trouble. Once the San Benito offense started rolling, it couldn’t be stopped.
“When we’re loud in the dugout, our energy goes up and we feed off hit after hit,” Fabing said.
Fabing pitched better as the season progressed, and he’s always been a staple in the lineup. Fabing takes the same approach into every game, and that’s with tremendous focus and concentration.
“What I do in practice, I take into the game,” he said. “If I practice well and work hard, good things will happen.”
