A 2-0 loss to seventh-place Branham leaves Sobrato in an
uncomfortable spot going into Thursday
MORGAN HILL — Win or possibly go home. You can bet the Sobrato Bulldogs didn’t have that scenario in mind for their final Mount Hamilton Division game before the season.
It has come to this, however, after the Bulldogs dropped their final game at Sobrato High School, 2-0, Wednesday against seventh-place Branham.
A cheer went up for the SHS seniors afterward, but things were noticeably tense around the home dugout.
“Am I concerned? A little, only because we haven’t been performing consistently,” Bulldogs manager Shorty Gutierrez said. “Our pitching is still great, but now our bats aren’t going.”
This is a Sobrato team that was heavily favored to win the Mount Hamilton pennant and parade back to the Central Coast Section Division II championship game. Now, the Bulldogs (12-14 overall, 11-9 league) are heading into Thursday’s 3:30 p.m. game at Pioneer tied for second and in danger of falling out of the top four — their safety net at this weekend’s CCS playoff meeting.
If they win, or Santa Teresa and Westmont loses, the Bulldogs will be in the clear.
“It’s a playoff atmosphere right now,” SHS infielder Tim Andrade said. “It’s disappointing to be where we are right now, but you have to shake it off.”
Ryan Williams looked as sharp as usual on the mound, striking out nine and scattering eight hits in seven innings, but the big righty couldn’t save himself from unearned runs the Bruins scored in the sixth and seventh innings.
The Bulldogs managed six singles and two walks against Branham’s Jay Jang (3-6), who struck out 10 in his first complete game of the season. Jang also drove in a run.
“We had a few hits today. We just couldn’t get them at the right time,” Gutierrez said. “That wasn’t a problem for us last game.”
A telling stat: Sobrato’s hits came from six different players, including sophomore Alex Hagiperos and seniors Chris Bradley, Alex Davis, Tom Standridge, Andrade and Williams.
With Bradley at first, Jang struck out Hagiperos on a 3-2 fastball to end the game.
“Their guy pitched pretty good against us,” Andrade said.
Doug Stephens doubled in a 2-for-3 effort, and Matt Urakami had two hits for the Bruins (12-13, 9-11).
Should the Bulldogs make the Division II playoffs, they will open May 20 and continue the following Saturday.
Thursday’s game is equally big for Pioneer (10-13, 9-10), which can fulfill one postseason requirement — a .500 league record — with a win.
The Mustangs and Bulldogs split their first two meetings this spring.
