Morgan Hill scores twice on error in final inning to win Game 2
against Palo Alto
PALO ALTO — The Morgan Hill Mudcats split a doubleheader Sunday against the four-time defending league champion Palo Alto Oaks.
The day started off looking like it was a going to be a dismal one for Morgan Hill. The Mudcats’ defense betrayed pitcher Matt Madeiros’ fine outing by allowing five unearned runs in the third inning. After the ‘Cats took a 3-1 lead when James Molina doubled and Jose Avila knocked him in with a single in the third, the Oaks answered in the bottom half and went on to win 11-5. All but two of Palo Alto’s runs were unearned.
Gilroy High School product Brandon Newton pitched two scoreless innings and Live Oak alumnus Nick Bonfiglio, who just completed a two-year stint playing for West Valley College, contributed an RBI single as the Mudcats mustered a mini rally in the eighth. Morgan Hill outhit the Oaks 6-4, but stranded 11 base runners.
“You gotta play defense in this league if you’re gonna win,” frustrated Mudcats Manager, Ken Valencia steamed.
The Mudcats’ bats snoozed for most of the seven-inning Game 2. Molina and Matt Morgan each got base hits in the first, but the Mudcats did not put another man on base until Avila’s walk in the sixth. Oaks pitcher M. Campbell retired 15 of 16 batters during that stretch.
Morgan Hill left-hander K.C. Burns scattered three runs through five innings, showing excellent control and consistency. Unfortunately, he left the game with the Mudcats trailing. Luckily for them, last week’s star Travis Molina entered the game. T-Mo shut the Oaks down in the sixth and seventh, setting up a wild finish in the final inning.
After Rocco Costanza grounded out and Scott Perkins whiffed, Morgan Hill was down to its last out and behind 3-0. Things were not looking good, but you can never count out this years Mudcats. Next, catcher Brandon Newton walked, and Madeiros blooped a single into right field. Travis Molina stepped into the box for the first time in the game and blasted a base-clearing first-pitch double off the left-field wall. With T-Mo on second, Jordan Newton worked a full count to draw a walk. Lead-off hitter Shannon Fernandez took ball three — and started walking to first thinking it was ball four. Jordan Newton started walking to second (oops). He realized his error just in time to dive back to first and avoid the throw. Fernandez went back to the plate and drew a walk to load the bases. With tension mounting on both sides, Avila stepped in and took ball one. He then hit a routine grounder to the Palo Alto shortstop, who flipped it to second for the third out — but wait, the ball deflected off the second baseman’s glove and into center field. Travis Molina and Jordan Newton scored, and the ‘Cats defeated the mighty Oaks for the first time in program history.
“Our big veteran, Matt Morgan, always tells us that his college coach used to say, ‘sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good,’ ” Valencia said. “That quote was really fitting today.”
Coach Ron Prater added: “The guys never gave up. Our pitching kept us in it, and the guys just kept playing the game. Good things happen to good teams.”
The Mudcats, now 3-1, on Sunday will travel to Sacramento to play the legendary Sacramento Smokies in a twinight doubleheader starting at 5 p.m.
