Sobrato crushed Del Mar on Wednesday 12-3 to secure third place
in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa Division and
hopefully improve their shot at advancing to the postseason.
By Tatiana Getty Special to the Times
Sobrato crushed Del Mar on Wednesday 12-3 to secure third place in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa Division and hopefully improve their shot at advancing to the postseason.
“We’re trying to keep our hopes alive for playoffs,” said coach Shorty Gutierrez. “We have a slim chance of making the playoffs, so that was a good win.”
The Bulldogs started the game off strong, bringing four runners across the plate in the second inning. But it was the bottom of the order that came through, with big hits by Ryan Melicker and Billy Birrell. Freshman shortstop Ryan Williams also had a strong base hit, scoring two of the four runs.
“(Wednesday) was a good team hitting performance,” Gutierrez said. “Williams went two for three with three RBIs. He really got us going in (the second inning) and the whole game.”
The Sobrato offense was consistent throughout, outhitting the Dons 13-5. They scored one more in the third inning and two in the fourth and sixth innings. They would remain uncontested until the top of the sixth, when the Dons rallied for three runs.
“Del Mar has always been tough with us,” Gutierrez said. “They came out a little flat, but after we scored four runs, it was a little tough for them to get back into the game.”
The Bulldogs answered back with three more runs in the bottom of the sixth, and got a solid performance by Sobrato closing pitcher Antonino Davi in the seventh, to end the game.
“Davi is one guy I have been able to rely on, no matter what the situation, to come in and do the job,” Gutierrez said. “(Del Mar) was trying to creep back into the game, and he came in and didn’t allow them to do that.”
Starting pitcher Kevin Sullivan also had a solid performance Wednesday, throwing five shutout innings to hold the Dons, before being relieved by Birrell in the sixth.
“Our pitching staff has been able to keep us competitive all year long,” Gutierrez said. “We got a great pitching performance from Sullivan. He’s been the anchor of our pitching staff for pretty much the whole year.”
Sobrato hosts league opponent Independence at 3:30pm today to end the regular season.
“We’re hoping to finish on a strong note on Friday,” Gutierrez said. “So hopefully we get a chance to get into the playoffs, we’ve kept are dreams alive so far.”
The Central Coast Section seeding meeting to determine playoffs spots is Sunday.
