‘Balers will play Monterey Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m.; San
Benito improved to 3-1 overall last Saturday with 9-3 victory at
Carmel
SANTA CLARA
The San Benito High baseball team’s scheduled game against Monterey Monday night at the Mike Hazlett Tournament in Santa Clara was postponed due to inclement weather.
The Haybalers will now open the tournament against Monterey Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Washington Park in Santa Clara. If they win, the ‘Balers will advance to the semifinal against the winner of Palo Alto and Mitty at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night. If they lose, San Benito would play the loser of Palo Alto and Mitty at 4:30 p.m. on Friday evening.
A third game on Saturday is scheduled depending upon how San Benito fares in its first two games.
Last Saturday, though, the ‘Balers fared just fine against host Carmel in a non-league contest. Powered by a 3-for-4 performance from Kyle Zozaya, who knocked in three RBIs, San Benito connected on three homers to easily defeat the Padres 9-3.
It was a scoring frenzy early on, as San Benito and Carmel plated all 12 combined runs in the first three innings alone.
“The first three innings, I was really pleased with our offensive play,” San Benito manager Michael Luna said. “I thought we were going to score a lot more runs, but we kind of shut it down.”
Posting nine runs by the third inning, San Benito then went 14 batters without a hit, from the end of the second inning until Zozaya singled to lead off the sixth.
With early season games at Valley Christian and St. Francis of Mountain View carrying a playoff-like atmosphere, Luna said that although Carmel, and even Monterey last Thursday, are perennial league champions, the ‘Balers “kind of relaxed and didn’t go at it with the same intensity as they did against Valley Christian and St. Francis.”
“That attitude has to change,” Luna added. “Hopefully that will come with more games and experience.”
After starter Steve Cabral (3IP, 3H, 2BB, 0K, 3R) threw three innings and allowed three runs, but just one earned run on Saturday, hurler Darin Gillies (3IP, 1H, 0BB, 2K, 0R) pitched lights out in relief. The sophomore threw three innings and allowed one hit.
“We brought in Darin Gillies and he just pitched three scoreless innings,” Luna said.
And all of San Benito’s pitchers Saturday, including Jacob Eichhorn (1IP, 0H, 0BB, 1K, 0R) in relief, had plenty of run support.
Zozaya put the ‘Balers up early in the first when he hit a two-run homer, the first of three for San Benito. Tyler Provost then followed with a two-out double, and after Cabral was hit by a pitch, Mark Hurley connected on an RBI single to score Provost.
But the Padres erased much of the three-run deficit in the bottom half of the inning on just one hit and two costly San Benito errors. Carmel trailed 3-2 after one inning.
In keeping with the scoring trend, though, Haybaler Ricky Garcia hit a solo homer with one out in the second inning to make it 4-2 San Benito. But the ‘Balers weren’t done.
Trevor Fabing then reached on an error, Zozaya followed with a single, and Spencer Brann connected on a two-out, three-run homer to give San Benito an 8-2 lead.
Carmel got one run back in the second on an RBI double, but the ‘Balers tacked on one more in the third when Zozaya hit a fielder’s choice to the shortstop that scored Nick Acosta from third base.
But San Benito had the bases loaded with no outs in that inning, and only one run to show for it.
“We should have scored more runs in that inning,” Luna said. “I thought we should have scored more runs against Monterey as well. We haven’t had that killer instinct.”
The ‘Balers (3-1), who beat Monterey last Thursday 7-3, will have another chance against the Toreadors when they open the Mike Hazlett Tournament Wednesday against Monterey at 7:30 p.m.
SANB – 351 000 0 – 9 9 3
CRML – 210 000 0 – 3 5 2
WP: S. Cabral (1-1)
