Vince LaGatta’s Mustang-9 All-Stars entered their Regional
opener in Brentwood on Wednesday eager to bury memories of their
collapse in last week’s Morgan Hill Section finals
BRENTWOOD
Vince LaGatta’s Mustang-9 All-Stars entered their Regional opener in Brentwood on Wednesday eager to bury memories of their collapse in last week’s Morgan Hill Section finals.
They needed 3 1/2 innings to put the past behind them.
Following what LaGatta called “three of the best practices we’ve had,” Morgan Hill routed East Bay champion Bel Passi 11-0 at Sunset Park, ending the game by mercy rule with a batting spree in the top of the fourth inning.
“To play as well as we did against that caliber of opponent really shows a lot,” LaGatta said. “Winning the first game of a tournament is always an important first step.”
Zack Gieg and Gio Saso had multiple RBIs for Morgan Hill, and Will Ansbro and Jonathan Singleton combined for a shutout. Morgan Hill was sharp defensively.
“The guys refocused really well for this,” LaGatta said. “We knew what we have on this team, and we just had to put it all together and play well.
Four more wins at the seven-team, double-elimination Regional and the locals will be headed to the West Zone World Series.
First they have to quiet some demons Thursday against Paso Robles, the team that took two from them in last week’s section finals, capping an impressive run through the losers’ bracket. Morgan Hill was in position to win both games but was undercut by cold hitting and untimely miscues.
First pitch is at 5:15 p.m.
“I don’t have to do much to get them refocused and pumped up for this,” LaGatta said. “Even at age 9, they don’t like losing. To get beat twice on our home field and watch them celebrate didn’t leave a good taste in our mouths.”
The winner advances to the winners’ bracket final at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The loser falls into elimination play with its next game set for 5:15 p.m. Friday.
MUSTANG: Morgan Hill had its back to the wall at the start of Wednesday’s elimination game against Fremont. A four-run deficit after three innings didn’t help.
Rich Dunne’s All-Stars are still very much alive in their host section tournament, however, after pulling a massive rally for a 10-8 victory at Britton Middle School.
Trailing 7-3, Morgan Hill put five runs across in the fourth then traded blows down the stretch, scoring twice in the fifth and the sixth to win it.
“It showed a lot,” Dunne said. “The guys kept their heads in it and just kept hitting the ball.”
Morgan Hill complemented a strong pitching performance by Donald Ukanwa with 14 hits.
The locals play Blossom Valley 2 at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The winner advances to the losers’ bracket semifinals and will be a win away from qualifying for Regionals.
