Morgan Hill advances in Bronco 12 Sectional with 15-3 victory
Wednesday
MORGAN HILL — Brad Higgins’ violent hit-by-pitch may have been a blessing in disguise for the Morgan Hill Green All-Stars.
With his team trailing 3-0 to Fremont in the first round of the Morgan Hill Bronco 12 Section Tournament, Higgins was bloodied by a pitch that hit him square in the jaw Wednesday at Britton Middle School. Slightly fazed but in serious pain, Higgins had to leave the game immediately.
When he returned in the seventh inning, his team was on its way to another blowout win.
“We kind of used that for inspiration,” Morgan Hill coach Mike Zanotto said after the 15-3 triumph. “I think that may have woken us up. It shook them out of it.”
The Green All-Stars led 5-3 by the fourth and pushed ahead with three runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and eight in the seventh. They totaled 14 hits, including three by Ben Hughes, two by Mike Porras, Domenic Zanotto, Mark Quinby and Alejandro Torres.
Against a lineup that featured players measuring up to 6-feet tall, Quinby pitched five solid innings to get the win. He struck out seven and surrendered five hits, three runs and zero walks.
“These guys were big a strong,” his coach said. “Their pitcher had a good release, too. It took us time to get adjusted. But once we did, we chipped away.”
Porras collected four RBIs, Domenic Zanotto had three, Sam Aptekar two, and Quinby and Torres one apiece. Josh Alaniz doubled and drove in a run, and Ethan Cox and Hughes scored three times.
Hughes struck out five while working a flawless final two innings.
The Green All-Stars will continue play in the six-team double-elimination sectional at 5:30 p.m. Friday against the top team from Los Altos/Mountain View. The winner will advance to the championship round.
