Sobrato resumes league play today at Leland
SAN JOSE — Sobrato baseball coach Ulises “Shorty” Gutierrez isn’t panicking.
His team fell to 0-3 Saturday, dropping its Blossom Valley Athletic League-Mount Hamilton Division opener, 3-1, to Leland that morning, then squandering a three-run lead and falling 7-3 to Los Altos in the afternoon.
When asked if the Bulldogs’ slow start is cause for concern, Gutierrez kept things in perspective.
“There’s a lot of baseball to be played, and I like the direction we’re going in,” the fifth-year coach said. “We don’t have our whole roster yet. Expectations are still high, but they’re understandable. We’re not playing as well as we should be.”
Gutierrez reflected on last season, when Sobrato won two of its first three games on the way to winning a Santa Teresa Division championship.
“It was important for us to have a good start and just improve last year,” Gutierrez said. “It’s all about what we do from here. We’re in a tougher league now. It’s going to be a Dodge shoot; a tough road. It’s important for us to win two of three against each team.”
The Bulldogs return to Leland High School today hoping to even the series with the Chargers (2-3 overall, 1-0 BVAL). The game begins at 3:30 p.m.
“It’s a must-win situation already,” Gutierrez added.
In their first meeting Saturday, Sobrato kept the score even, 1-1, until the fifth inning, when Leland capitalized off a fielding mistake. The Chargers scored again in the sixth.
The Bulldogs put their one across in the first inning, when Kaleo Correa advanced home on a dropped third strike. Sobrato couldn’t muster any more support for starting pitcher Billy Birrell (0-2).
“I told our guys, ‘The team that makes more mistakes will end up losing,’ ” Gutierrez said. “Offensively, we outplayed them. But their pitcher was tough, especially with runners in scoring position. He was able to hold us down.”
Afterward, the Bulldogs got back on the bus and drove to Los Altos High School to face the Eagles (3-2, 1-0 De Anza League). Knowing the outcome will not affect his team’s section-playoff chances, Gutierrez played most of his bench.
“It was another game where we started out good. So I’m happy with that,” he said. “We gave a lot of our guys a chance to get in and let them play.”
Normally an infielder, Sobrato’s Chris Bradley took the hill and pitched two strong innings. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs built a 3-0 lead with Timmy Giles’ base-loaded hit to right field in the first inning and Ryan Williams’ RBI knock in the second. Giles was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, also in the second inning.
“The guys walked away from both games acting like they should have won,” Gutierrez said. “That’s good to see. They’re confident they can play with anyone. We just can’t afford to make mistakes at this level.”
With their home field still under construction, the Bulldogs will stay on the road through this week. They will visit Leigh Tuesday and Thursday, completing six games in eight days.
