Baseball stays alive in playoff picture

Baseball stays alive in playoff picture

The following article originally appeared on May 3rd, 2019, in the Register Pajaronian and can be read HERE.


APTOS — The word resilient is defined as "able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions," according to Webster's Dictionary.

After recovering from a four-run first inning deficit and surviving a ninth-inning rally, the resilient Cabrillo College baseball team defeated Gavilan, 11-7, on Saturday afternoon.

Ace freshman starting pitcher Gio Besio earned his ninth win this season, throwing 119 pitches in seven innings for the Hawks.

After a wild first inning, Besio settled in by recording six strikeouts and gave up 10 hits along with a walk.

"I was getting a little frustrated," Besio said. "I think I was just trying to do too much."

Besio said he managed to get things going in the second inning where he played his kind of game.

"I reset, did less, played my game and my defense played their butts off for me," he said.

The Seahawks surrendered 78 runs over the past nine games.

So, it seemed fitting that a pitcher, other than Besio, would have to prove themselves to get their first-winning streak in April.

The win secures the Seahawks' (20-15, 8-7) first series victory during the month.

It also moved them up into a two-way tie for second place in the Coast Conference Pacific with Skyline College (20-16, 8-7).

Plus, Cabrillo stole back the keys to their own destiny thanks to a tiebreaker advantage over Skyline.

The Seahawks scored in each of the first five innings, erasing an early debt and capitalizing on the nine walks issued by Rams sophomore starting pitcher James Lemberger.

In the bottom of the fifth, Cabrillo's offense delivered the crushing blow when designated hitter Joey Miranda crushed a ball down the right field line to drive in two runs.

The sophomore slugger from Yuma drove in three RBI's, drew a walk, scored a run and went 3-for-4 from the plate.

But like any great antagonists, the Rams (8-28, 2-17) mustered a final assault before the closing credits.

Cabrillo freshman Chan Sanguinetti also found himself on the mound in a bases-loaded scenario with just one out and minus the luxury of a bullpen session to warm up.

Rams coach Neal Andrade said the final inning showed the team was battling until the final pitch.

"I am proud of how our guys came out and if that ball gets down in the ninth, it's probably a tie game," he said. "It is a testament to what we preach as coaches to keep playing until the season is over."

Sanguinetti surrendered one hit before inducing a deep fly ball to earn his third save of the season.

The Seahawks look to carry on the positive momentum they generated against Rams into a regular season series finale showdown against Cañada (16-17-2, 7-8) on Thursday and Friday.