Sobrato will play division rival Leigh for the fourth time this
season Saturday in PAL Stadium
SAN JOSE — No surprises will be in store for Sobrato when it takes the field Saturday in PAL Stadium.
After beating North Monterey County 13-3 in the first round of the CIF-Central Coast Section Division II Playoffs on Thursday, the No. 2-seeded Bulldogs earned a quarterfinals bout with No. 4 Leigh, a team Sobrato (18-13 overall) faced three teams during Mount Hamilton Division play.
Leigh (18-13) took two of those three contests. The Longhorns routed No. 10 Terra Nova 10-0 in the first round Thursday.
“It should be a tough matchup,” said Bulldogs coach Ulises “Shorty” Gutierrez, who was the pitching coach at Leigh before coming to Sobrato five years ago. “We’re focused on that one right now. We had a good series with them this year.”
Gutierrez said he plans to start his lefty, Chris Bradley, for the 10 a.m. showdown. The junior had one of his best outings in Sobrato’s last meeting with Leigh, striking out nine in a complete-game one-hitter. The Bulldogs won 9-0.
“With Chris out there, I think we’re going to be okay,” Gutierrez said. “We have good faith in him. He’s already put a scare into Leigh with what he can do.”
Bradley, who pitched the first no-hitter in program history earlier this year, ended the regular season 4-5 with a team-best 1.68 ERA.
Saturday’s winner will play either Willow Glen or Westmont — another Mount Hamilton team — in the semifinals Thursday in San Jose Municipal Stadium.
