Small Ball Efforts Lift Cypress to a Comeback Win
Garcia pitched 4.1 hitless innings. |
February 3, 2009
Final Stats
Cypress, Calif. - Cypress played their final home game before heading to the Desert Tuesday against the sixth ranked Cougars of Cuesta. The Chargers faltered early but put together a team effort to climb back for the 7-4 win. Freshman left hander Gabriel Garcia came in to hold Cuesta hitless in 4.1 innings while striking out four.
The Cougars utilized three hits and three wild pitches for four runs in the first putting Cypress behind early. Cypress chipped away in the second. Freshman designated hitter Travis Garrett led off with a single. Sophomore catcher Parker Berberet moved him to second on a sacrifice bunt and then moved to third on a ground out. Freshman third baseman Dimitri DeLaFuente hit a clutch single up the middle to score Garrett for Cypress’s first run of the game.
Garcia pitched himself out of a bases loaded situation in the fourth to hold Cuesta at four runs. Cypress added another in the fifth. Freshman second baseman Mike Barnhill reached on a Cuesta error. Freshman right fielder Christian Ramirez singled up the middle to move Barnhill to second and then moved to third off a sacrifice bunt by freshman shortstop Johnathan Morales. Sophomore left fielder Jonathan Hurst hit an RBI ground out to score Barnhill and cut the Cuesta lead to two.
Cypress had a shot to close in on the lead in the seventh with the bases loaded. The Chargers left them stranded and stayed behind the Cougars. The Charger defense did their part stealing away a lead-off triple and making an out in the top of the eighth.
Cypress set themselves up for a rally in the bottom of the eighth. Berberet led off by reaching on an error followed by a single to right by sophomore center fielder Ricky Eisenberg. DeLaFuente loaded the bases with a single through the left side setting up a bases loaded, no out situation for sophomore pinch hitter Mark Hewitt. Hewitt took four bases for a walk as Berberet scored. With the tying run at third, Ramirez came up big with a double down the left field line as Eisenberg and DeLaFuente came in to score as Cypress finally surpassed Cuesta for the one run lead. The rally continued as Morales hit one right behind the second baseman for the sixth Charger run and still no outs. Hurst laid down a well placed bunt single to score Ramirez extending the lead.
Sophomore right hander Brent Bray had the tough start giving up all four earned runs in two-thirds of an inning. Garrett played both ways for the Chargers coming in to relieve Garcia with three innings of work allowing just two hits. Freshman right-hander Matt Rush came in to close and earned the save ending the game with two straight strikeouts.
Cypress improves to 3-2 and has a day off before their first road trip of the year. The Chargers will head to College of the Desert for three straight games starting Thursday against Compton. The two face off Thursday at 2:00 pm.
