Sobrato scored five runs in the seventh inning to hold off Live
Oak, 9-7, Tuesday in the Bulldogs’ first victory over their
cross-town rival in school history
MORGAN HILL — If there is one thing these Sobrato Bulldogs knew how to be, it was focused. Having to wait three years for a rematch with a rival they had never beaten in baseball taught them that.
Some could have expected Sobrato to stoke complacency Tuesday at Sarich Field, as it built a 4-0 in the second inning against Live Oak and then a five-run lead in the top of the seventh inning.
Not these Bulldogs. They curbed their enthusiasm through four scoreless innings, kept composure through a hair-raising final three outs and secured the program’s first victory over the Acorns, 9-7, before a standing-room-only crowd.
The victory celebration boiled over after the final out — and not a moment too soon.
“You don’t feel comfortable until the last out is made,” Sobrato coach Ulises “Shorty” Gutierrez said. “(The Acorns) are known as guys that don’t quit, and that’s absolutely true. You have to put sleeping dogs away.”
It took everything the Bulldogs had to do so. They burned through three pitchers, including starters Shea Adams and Ryan Williams, and needed nearly all of their five runs scored in the seventh to quiet the Acorns, who were unable to cap the type of relentless rally that has been their trademark in 2009.
“We had our shot,” Live Oak coach Mark Cummins said. “It wasn’t like we dug ourselves too big of a hole. We needed to clean things up early.”
Live Oak chipped away in the seventh, putting five consecutive batters on base before Sobrato recorded its first out. Connor Sutton scored on an overthrow, Michael Schreiber singled in Tony Austin and Ken Hall drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs to bring home Alika Bantilan.
“It got close at the end, man,” said Sobrato’s Bryan Bradley, who willed the last two outs to get the save. “After I made that error to start the inning, I was nervous as heck. Then coach called me in to pitch and said, ‘Just throw strikes.’ ”
After walking Hall, Bradley got Cody Casino to ground out, preserving the win for Williams (5-2); an historical one at that. Williams came in for Adams, who left in line for the decision after four strong innings. Adams struck out three and limited Live Oak to two runs on as many hits.
“It’s pretty nice having five guys I can rely on on the hill,” Gutierrez, who’s coached the program through its entire five years, said. “Each came in and put the ball over the plate.”
The Bulldogs (12-10 overall) moved into a tie with Live Oak and Leigh for second place in the Mount Hamilton Division standings at 7-6 in league play. Sobrato will host the Acorns on Thursday and return to Sarich Field for Game 3 of their intercity series May 14 to end the regular season.
The Morgan Hill teams had not played each other since 2006, when Live Oak swept Sobrato in two Tri County Athletic League contests. Since then, they have combined for four championships; a Santa Teresa Division pennant for the Bulldogs and back-to-back Mount Hamilton titles and a section crown for the Acorns.
The intensity of the much-anticipated meeting yielded positive and negative effects.
“I think everyone just got too tense in the big situations,” Sutton said. “Everyone just felt the pressure. We got to get back on the field and start playing baseball again.”
Live Oak (13-8) got off to a slow start, but needed only a slight push in the third inning to wake up. Austin scored Gabriel Mancias on a fielder’s choice, and Bantilan singled home Sutton to make it 4-2.
Bantilan finished 4-for-4 batting with two runs.
“Anyone in their lineup can hit,” Bradley said. “Those guys can rake.”
Bradley, who scored three runs, was driven in by Adams in the first and second, as Sobrato jumped ahead early. The Bulldogs did not score again, though, until the seventh.
“We knew we had to keep battling,” said Sobrato’s David Rotter, who went 3 for 4 with a double. “We knew it was going to be close. We just had to stay patient and not get nervous. I think the pressure actually helped us.”
Against Williams, the Acorns pulled even in the sixth with a sacrifice fly by Dylan Davis and an RBI single by Hall.
“We played a good game,” Mancias said. “But there were too many times we could have executed and we didn’t. A lot of us are upset right now. We have to be in the game start to finish.”
Unfazed, the Bulldogs went back ahead with Williams’ suicide-squeeze bunt that scored Bradley. Adams stroked an RBI single on a first-pitch fastball from Sutton (6-2) to make it 6-4, and junior Robbie Coy put the game away with his pinch-hit two-run double off the wall in left field.
“I always tell our guys to be ready to go in there when the game’s on the line,” Gutierrez said. “He got a good pitch and almost hit it out.”
Sophomore Rich Martinez got the start for Live Oak and worked five solid innings, scattering three earned runs on six hits. He and Schreiber singled twice.
“We got to bounce back,” Cummins said. “We got to have a short memory and be ready to go next time against them.
“It was a great game. We put on a good show for Morgan Hill.”
