Local team beats second- and third-ranked clubs in Northern
California
MANTECA — Fueled with the superb pitching of 14-year-old phenom Ben Hughes and a collective effort at the plate, the Thrill of Morgan Hill baseball club added another milestone to its legacy by winning the exclusive Fall Brawl event last weekend at the Big League Dreams complex in Manteca.
The tournament pitted some of Northern California’s top select teams against each other for two days on a high school-level field that resembled the Polo Grounds, the once-hallowed home of the New York baseball Giants.
Hughes played the part of Carl Hubbell. The Valley Christian freshman pitched a solid final inning in the Thrill’s tournament-opening 8-4 win over San Lorenzo’s Bases Loaded Baseball on Saturday, and worked an 80-pitch three-hitter with six strikeouts against the San Leandro Rakers (ranked No. 3 in NorCal) the next morning as Morgan Hill won 2-0 to reach the afternoon’s final game. The Thrill then shocked No. 2 Sonoma County 8-3 in the final and was awarded gold medals and an authentic championship belt.
Hughes was given a bronze boxing glove as tournament MVP.
“He’s an elite player. The other kids have a lot of confidence with Benny on the mound — they’ve been through a lot of big games together,” said Thrill coach Mike Zanotto, whose team included several members of the Morgan Hill All-Star team that reached the 2009 Bronco World Series and won a Pony section title last summer. “It was a total-team effort, though. It’s a cliche, but it’s true.”
Morgan Hill entered the tournament as a likely afterthought to the other teams, which compete at the highest level of 14-and-under club baseball. The Thrill had won two of its previous six games this season, whereas Sonoma County and San Leandro were 22-3 combined.
Morgan Hill was missing some of its key veterans from past club and All-Star seasons but looked as strong as ever while winning its four games.
Hughes was a rock at pitcher and shortstop, where he collected more than a dozen putouts in the tournament. His catcher, Sam Aptekar, was equally key, making the longer throw from home to nail several would-be base-stealers.
Aptekar also pitched the final two innings of the championship game in relief of Nikko Nerecina.
“Most of the teams at this level don’t have a catcher like him,” Zanotto said. “He’s arguably our best player all-around.”
Domenic Zanotto, Jack Affourtit and Nerecina delivered clutch pitching that allowed Morgan Hill to save Hughes for the semifinal; had Hughes pitched more than three innings Saturday, he would have been ineligible to pitch Sunday.
Affourtit and Nerecina guided the Thrill past Bases Loaded Baseball, and Zanotto junk-balled his way through a complete-game 8-2 victory over All-Star Academy of Santa Clara, sending Morgan Hill to the medal round. In the championship game, Nerecina struck out two in five innings.
Nerecina also paced the Thrill’s offense in the tournament with three doubles and a single. Travis Moulden scored five runs, and Patrick Muller drove in three in the final for Morgan Hill. Teammate Zach Riveron had a great weekend at the plate as well, Mike Zanotto said.
In the close semifinal, Morgan Hill prevailed by stringing together four of its five hits, including Shane Hamblin’s RBI double and a run-scoring single by Bradley Higgins.
Asa Jacobs had a successful squeeze bunt in the final and also made a great running catch for an out.
The Fall Brawl may have been the last ride for the Thrill. Half of the team’s players will compete at the high school level as freshmen this spring, leaving them ineligible to play in the Pony 14 All-Star season by rule of Morgan Hill Pony Baseball. The board may overturn that rule this winter, Mike Zanotto said.
Judging from last weekend, the local players are geared to excel at either level.
