BASEBALL: Milpitas Blasts Past Gunn

The Score: Milpitas 9, Gunn 1

The Star: Milpitas senior Mario Garay set the tone for the afternoon during his first at-bat of the game. Garay got a pitch to his liking and drove in the first two runs of the game with a deep two-run double centerfield. He finished the game going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored in the convincing 9-1 win over Tuesday afternoon in Milpitas.

The other Garay brother, David Garay, pitched a flawless game at home, fanning six batters in six innings of work while allowing only two hits.

The number six seemed to be the theme for Milpitas in a number of categories. The Trojans offense managed to steal six bases and also forced six fielding errors from the Titans.

The Turning Point: With runners already on first and third and with no outs in the first, Mario Garay delivered with a two-run double to start the fun. The Trojans didn’t stop there as they relentlessly caused alarm and panic for the Gunn defense. With runners on the corners again, the Trojans decided to go for a double steal which led to another run. With a Trojans runner heading to second, the Titans catcher attempted to get the runner giving the second base runner on third the open window to race home. Milpitas certainly didn’t look like a team that was just coming back from Spring Break as they scored seven runs in the first two innings of play.

For the visitors, it was a day to forget, highlighted by six errors in the field.

With the Trojans ahead 9-0 in the top of the seventh, Gunn came alive with back-to-back hits to start the inning. With runners on the corner and one away, Titans pinch hitter Joshua Butler hit a line drive to short scoring Titans runner Jack Hanna to give Gunn its first run and only scoring tally of the game.

The Quotes: “We just came out flat,” Gunn head coach Troy de Vincente said about his team’s performance against El Camino foe Milpitas. “They came out fighting for a playoff spot and we didn’t.”

With this loss, Gunn falls to fourth in the standings, trailing three games behind leaders Santa Clara High.

“Hopefully we don’t come out flat again --- we’re much better on the field than what we showed today and we have great pitching,” said Vincente.

What’s Next? Gunn will play (7-7-1, 4 -4 El Camino) Milpitas (10-3-1, 6-3 El Camino) again on Thursday.

Bottom Line: Thursday’s game is important for both teams as Santa Clara and Monte Vista sit in first and second respectively in El Camino play. Another Milpitas win would place an even tighter squeeze on the league standings. Gunn needs a bounce back showing and a series split to try and make up some ground against a top three league foe. 

……………………………

 Milpitas 9, Gunn 1

 M 4 3 0 0 0 0 2- 9 8 2

G 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 – 1 4 6

 WP: Garay. LP: Snyder

 Records: Milpitas 10-3-1, 6-3 El Camino. Gunn 7-8, 4-4 El Camino.