Morgan Hill’s Mustang Gold All-Stars advanced in their host
sectional with a thrilling 12-11 win over Fremont on Tuesday
MORGAN HILL — Morgan Hill’s Mustang Gold All-Stars overcame a four-run deficit with seven runs in the final inning, then held off a late rally to beat Fremont 12-11 Tuesday in the first round of their Morgan Hill Section Tournament.
With their team trailing 9-5 in the sixth at Britton Middle School, catcher Dalton Habina and Jordan Cardenas got Morgan Hill’s rally started with back-to-back doubles. The Gold All-Stars drew bases-loaded walks, then got RBIs from Brian Martin and Joey Mitchell. Andrew Mendoza followed with a run-scoring base hit.
“It was great to see the kids rally like that,” Morgan Hill manager Joey Mitchell said. “Dalton really came through for us. He pretty much started everything in that last inning.”
The Gold All-Stars were not out of the woods yet. Fremont answered with a scoring spree of its own in the bottom half and, with two outs, was on the verge of pulling even after a baserunner drew an overthrow at third base.
Morgan Hill left fielder Eric Clymer was in great position, though, and fired home to Habina in time to get the final out.
“I was getting ready for extra innings,” their manager said when asked about the overthrow. “Eric made a great throw home.
“The kids showed they can finish and play all six innings. This was a great way to start the tournament. It set the tone.”
Morgan Hill will play Blossom Valley in the six-team double-elimination tournament at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Britton. The Gold All-Stars are two consecutive wins away from playing for first place and a trip to regionals.
