Hawks score winning run on wild pitch in seventh
San Juan Bautista – A week ago, some wildness cost the Anzar baseball team a victory when it allowed five runs on five walks, two hit by pitches and an infield single to blow a four-run lead in a loss to Soledad.
But in Friday’s Mission Trail Athletic League home contest against Gonzales, the Hawks took advantage of the Spartans wildness when Adam Wilkinson scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the seventh inning of a 5-4 victory.
“We’ll use these wins as a confidence builder,” Anzar’s Adrian Monroy said, referring to this win as well as Wednesday’s road win against Gonzales. “We had lost five in a row before this so we needed these. Now we’ve got a tough week ahead against King City.”
Monroy, who pitched five solid innings, striking out seven and surrendering four runs (two earned), helped the Hawks quickly answer the two runs the Spartans put on the board in the first.
With two outs, Monroy blasted a 2-1 offering over the fence in left field for his first home run of the year.
“I just needed to get us jump-started somehow,” Monroy said.
Massimo Marra-Biggs followed with a walk and then stole second before Scott Benson delivered an RBI single.
Gonzales regained the lead with a run in the third and it added another in the fourth to make it 4-2.
But patience at the plate – something Anzar coach Andrew Barragan has been preaching all season – helped the Hawks tied the game in the bottom of the fifth.
Paolo Marra-Biggs led off with a walk, Monroy was hit by a pitch and Massimo Marra-Biggs walked. Benson followed with his second RBI single of the game, but Monroy was thrown out trying to score from second.
Wilkinson then walked to reload the bases and Cody Mendiola was hit by a pitch to drive in the game-tying run.
A double play ended Anzar’s threat for the second straight inning to keep it tied.
Austin McKinney pitched the final two innings without allowing a run.
Wilkinson led off the seventh with a single to right field. He moved to second on a wild pitch and stole third as Mendiola drew a walk. With a 2-1 count on Kasten Delgado, the pitch from David Castro went wild and Wilkinson easily took home to secure the win.
“This was a good win,” Barragan said. “It was ugly, but it was a good win. The kids understand we have a little comeback in us.”
Gonzales 201 010 0 – 4 8 2
Anzar 200 020 1 – 5 7 3
Moline, Castro (5) and Castro, Mazzuca. Monroy, McKinney (6) and P. Marra-Biggs. WP – McKinney, LP – Castro.
