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| Go ahead RBI double to right-center field off SDSU bound Nolan Gannon. |
If this were a football, basketball or soccer game, the Calvary Lions would have walked away with a victory on Saturday, but it's baseball and there is no such thing as running down the clock and walking off the field. You have to rise to the challenge and face your opponent until the very last out is made. There is no easy way to victory and this game proved that point.
Calvary had the upper hand for the majority of the game taking a slim 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 6th inning when the Eagles broke the game open with a 6 run barrage in their final at bat that secured the win.
In his first start of the year, Isaac Conover kept the hard hitting Santa Fe team, which features 4 starters with D-1 scholarships, in check with a splendid outing allowing only 1 run on 3 hits in 4 innings of work. He walked 2 and struck out 6. His solid outing put Calvary in a great position to win the game.
With several pro scouts in attendance to watch senior Eagles starter Nolan Gannon, a 6'5" righthander who routinely throws between 87-93 MPH, Calvary managed to draw first blood in the second inning when newcomers Sam Sheehan and Matt Hartman slammed back-to-back doubles giving Calvary an early 1-0 lead.
Calvary added a second run the following inning when sophomore David Carpenter grounded a hard single up the middle and stole second base. Caleb Whitley fought off a tough 2-strike breaking ball and lined an RBI single to left giving the Lions a 2-0 lead.
Santa Fe scored their first run in the bottom half of the 3rd inning when they turned an infield single followed by a wild pitch into a run when Purdue-bound catcher Josh Estill grounded a hard single up the middle tightening the score to 2-1.
Neither team scored in the 4th inning although Calvary threatened when they stranded runners on 2nd and 3rd. Both teams relieved their starting pitchers in the fifth inning with Santa Fe bringing in hard throwing Bobby Zarubin, who will play on scholarship next year at Stanford, and Calvary bringing in another hard thrower, senior transfer Sam Sheehan. Both pitchers shut down their opponents in the 5th inning.
Then came the dreaded 6th inning. Zarubin kept Santa Fe within striking distance by retiring the side in order. In the Eagles half of the 6th Zarubin lead off with a booming opposite-field ground-rule double putting the tying run in scoring position. The next hitter grounded to short and Zarubin made a base running error by trying to advance to third and was thrown out easily, however the base umpire was apparently the only one in attendance who felt that wasn't the case and ruled him safe in a controversial call that proved to be the beginning of the end. Rather than having one out with the tying run on first, Calvary faced a situation with no outs and the tying run 90 feet away and the go-ahead run at first.
The next hitter was handcuffed on an inside fastball and fisted a popup that dropped perfectly between first and second, just out of the fielder's reach for an infield hit that scored Zarubin from third with the tying run.
With the score knotted at 2-2, senior ace Russell Harmening relieved Sheehan and struck out the first hitter he faced recording the first out of the inning. The 9th hitter laid down a perfect drag bunt for Santa Fe's 3rd infield hit of the day to load the bases. Harmening who normally has outstanding control, walking less than 1 batter per game over the past two seasons, uncharacteristically walked in the go-ahead run surrending the lead. The following hitter lined a shot to center scoring two to stretch Santa Fe's lead to 5-2. A run-scoring wild pitch and deep sacrifice fly sealed Calvary's fate as the Eagles soared to big victory.
Sam Sheehan was the hard-luck loser and had a much better outing than the box score indicates.
Three Calvary players played an outstanding defensive game led by senior Sam Hebert who played a flawless first base and capped off Calvary's sole double play with a great pick to record the out. Aaron Frazee played a very solid second base and exhibited his speed and range on more than one occasion. Junior Alex Nurding, normally a first baseman, had his second straight great defensive game in the outfield hauling in a deep drive at the base of the fence in right-center.
The game was the first in the 31st Annual Pirate/Falcon Classic. Calvary has a week of tough opponents ahead. They will be facing two of the largest schools in San Diego County starting with El Camino on Tuesday and San Diego High School on Thursday. They will face Fallbrook High School on Saturday. All games will be away.
-Game recap by Coach Whitley
Other teams in the Pirate/Falcon Classic are El Camino, Pt. Loma, Santa Fe Christian, Torrey Pines, San Diego, Canyon Crest, Del Norte, San Dieguito, Escondido Charter, Oceanside, Valley Center, Orange Glen, Murrieta Valley, Carlsbad, Scripps Ranch, Great Oak, San Pasqual, Escondido, and Fallbrook.
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