11 Green faces elimination game Tuesday; 12 Green wins
tournament
SAN JOSE — Considering most of his players were part of a Mustang All-Star team that reached a section championship through the loser’s bracket, Morgan Hill Bronco 11 Green manager Mark Dean wasn’t too concerned after Sunday’s 7-6 loss to Fremont.
Defeat brought out the best in his club a year ago.
“A true champion battles through adversity, and we’re in an adverse situation again,” Dean said. “We made it to finals last season in the loser’s bracket. We can do it again.”
In the face of elimination, the Green All-Stars can still take a big step forward in the five-team San Jose Section Tournament with a victory today. They were on the verge of doing so Sunday at Herman School before Fremont scored four runs in the final inning.
“It was a heart-breaker,” Dean said. “It was a well-fought, well-played game, the kind you hate to lose.”
Richard Geraffo doubled in a 3-for-3 effort to lead Morgan Hill and joined teammates Evan Dean, Adam Jennings, Parker Andrews and Justin Baker in scoring runs.
The Green All-Stars were coming off a convincing 10-0 win over Los Altos/Mountain View in five innings. Morgan Hill’s Anthony Saso pitched a one-hitter and went 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Ryan Quadros, Luke Newquist, Evan Dean, Baker and Andrews each contributed hits.
“It was a great way to start the tournament,” Mark Dean said. “We were feeling great until (Sunday).”
True to their trend, Morgan Hill’s Bronco 12 ‘A’ team collected a second straight Fourth of July Tournament title in explosive fashion.
The powerful Green All-Stars tallied 15 home runs in six games at Fremont’s Harvey Green Elementary School, collecting each of their five wins by 10-run rule.
“It was the biggest hitting display I’ve seen at this level,” Morgan Hill manager Mike Zanotto said. “We had four three-run homers and a grand slam. They were knocking the cover off the ball.”
Believe it or not, Green did not go undefeated. It lost 6-5 to rival Blossom Valley on Friday, but got even with a 16-2 win in the championship game.
“I felt like an American League manager at times, just sitting around waiting for someone to step up with a big home run,” said Zanotto, whose team begins play in the Morgan Hill Section Tournament on July 15. “It’s scary how good we are sometimes, but you can never take any team lightly. You have to show up every game.”
Fresh off an hour drive to Fremont Friday morning, the Green All-Stars routed Burlingame’s ‘B’ team 11-1. Mark Quinby struck out six in four innings, and Ben Hughes and Patrick Muller contributed two hits apiece and five runs combined.
Quinby, Alejandro Torres and Mike Porras each homered in Friday’s loss to defending regional champion Blossom Valley, with Quinby and Torres going back to back in the first inning. Porras added his two-run blast in the fifth.
Morgan Hill opened Saturday with a 13-1 victory over Burlingame ‘A’ that featured two home runs by Hughes and another by Torres. Travis Moulden added two hits, and Cole Campi four walks.
That was followed by a 15-3 win over Pleasant Hill, a spectacle that included two home runs from Porras and one from Muller, who struck out three in four innings. Teammate Domenic Zanotto batted 3 for 3.
Morgan Hill clinched a finals berth with an 11-1 win over Pleasant Hill. Hughes belted a grand slam, and Porras struck out three in as many innings.
Cox went 3 for 3 with two round-trippers in the championship game, and Quinby and Torres homered.
Morgan Hill will play its final section warm-up game Friday against San Jose PAL in PAL Stadium.
