MH Pony 13 team wins three games to advance to title game
Wednesday
CAMPBELL – The Morgan Hill PONY-13 All-Star team won its first three games in the in the North Region tournament at John D. Morgan Park in Campbell and will play for the championship Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
Morgan Hill will play against either Campbell, Daly City or Diablo Valley for the title.
Morgan Hill 10, Daly City 0
After a scoreless first inning, Morgan Hill erupted for eight runs in the second and third innings. Adam Perez singled, Matt Cummins walked and Kevin Grove had an infield single to load the bases with no outs.
Daly City induced a ground ball, which forced Perez at the plate, but the catcher’s errant throw to first base allowed both Cummins and Grove to score. Ryan Evanger followed with a base hit, scoring Jonathan Hughes.
Morgan Hill starting pitcher Matt Cummins allowed only two base runners in his first three innings. After a Daly City leadoff single in the second inning, catcher Perez gunned the runner down attempting to steal second.
In the bottom of the third, James Johnson and Perez both walked. Johnson scored on a Cummins groundout. Perez scored on a wild pitch, and Grove followed up with a long double to the left-center fence. Hughes had with an RBI groundout, scoring Grove.
The Morgan Hill hit parade continued, as both Evanger and Vince Hatakeyama scored on a single by Danny Nelson. Cummins went on to pitch five innings, allowing just three hits and two walks, while striking out six.
Hatakeyama came in to pitch the sixth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, he struck out the final two batters. In the bottom of the inning, MH won by the 10-run mercy rule.
With two outs, Stephen Smith walked, stole second and scored on a Perez base hit. With Perez stealing, Cummins laced a double over the left fielder’s head.
Perez went 3-for-3, extending his hitting streak to 7-for-7 over the past two games, while both Grove and Nelson were 2-for-3. Morgan Hill did not commit an error in the game, and it was also their third All-Star game with no strikeouts.
Morgan Hill 7, Pleasanton 4
Morgan Hill advanced to the semifinal game by coming from behind to defeat the scrappy Pleasanton squad. In the top of the first inning, the Pleasanton leadoff hitter tried to extend a double but was gunned out at third as left fielder Smith fired a strike to shortstop Billy Hill, who threw to Cummins at third.
Starting pitcher Evanger pitched well over three innings, allowing two earned runs and struck out two. Pleasanton took a 3-0 lead, as their cleanup hitter hit a home run in the top of the second.
Two more runs scored in the third, one on a Morgan Hill error. Reliever Jonathan Hughes threw one pitch in the third inning, and then picked off the base runner at first base to end the Pleasanton rally.
Morgan Hill responded in the bottom of the inning, as Hughes and Smith both singled and were balked to second and third. Hughes scored on a fielder’s choice, and Hill hit a sacrifice fly to score Smith. Morgan Hill almost plated its third run of the inning, but the Pleasanton left fielder fired a strike to home for the third out.
With the score 3-2, Pleasanton extended its lead in the fourth inning, as the first three hitters reached base safely. Hughes induced a ground ball double play as Hill and Cummins turned the gem, with the runner from third scoring.
After another Morgan Hill error, Hughes picked off his second base runner, firing a strike to Grove for the first out in the fifth inning.
In the bottom of the inning, Morgan Hill was down 4-2, before the rally began. Smith had his second hit of the game, and Danny Nelson walked. Pinch hitter Christian Lam reached base on an error, but Pleasanton got the next two hitters out without allowing a run.
Cummins drew a walk to force in a run, and Grove stepped up to the plate. With two strikes and two outs, he laced a liner just inside the third base bag for a double, driving in all three runs, and giving Morgan Hill a 6-4 lead.
Robert Barsanti followed with an RBI single to score Grove as an insurance run. Hughes retired the side in order in the sixth inning, and Cummins came in to face Pleasanton in the top of the seventh. After retiring the first two hitters, Morgan Hill committed two errors followed by a walk to load the bases, but Cummins induced a grounder to first baseman Grove for the final out and the save.
MH 13, Diablo Valley 6
The early part of the game was a pitcher’s duel, as Morgan Hill starter James Johnson and the Diablo Valley ace held both teams scoreless over the first two innings.
In the bottom of the third inning with one out, Smith walked and stole second. Hill singled to drive in Smith, and Grove hit a fielders’ choice to score Hill.
Diablo Valley cut the lead to 2-1 in the fourth inning, as the first hitter singled and was doubled home. Morgan Hill extended the lead to 6-1 by scoring four runs in the bottom of the inning.
Matt Cummins led off with a triple to deep right center, and two Diablo Valley errors scored Cummins and Danny Nelson. Vince Hatakeyama doubled in Jonathan Hughes and eventually scored on a sacrifice bunt by Hill.
Johnson dominated the Diablo Valley hitters, as he recorded six strikeouts over five innings with no walks. In the sixth inning, Diablo Valley cut the Morgan Hill lead to 8-6 on a variety of hits and Morgan Hill miscues.
With five runs in and the speedy leadoff hitter on second, Kevin Grove came in to relieve Johnson. He promptly induced a ground ball to Hill at short for the final out of the inning.
Morgan Hill responded with five runs of its own, as Hill walked and scored on a single by Perez. With two outs, Cummins had his third hit of the game, a double which scored Lam. Nelson walked, and Ryan Evanger had a double to score Nelson. Evanger eventually also scored on a wild pitch.
In the top of the seventh inning, Grove struck out the first hitter, but then loaded the bases loaded after a walk, an error and a single. He induced a pop out to Lam at first, and recorded the final out himself on another pop up. Cummins finished the game going 3-for-4, with just a home run short of the cycle.
