REDWOOD HITTERS FINDING A RHYTHM - Marin Independent Journal

PREP BASEBALL

REDWOOD HITTERS FINDING A RHYTHM

Giants sweep Marin Catholic, head into break in three-game win streak

Redwood’s Sam Gersch (5)hi ts a pitch from Marin Catholic during a MCAL game at Marin Catholic in Kentfield on Thursday. PHOTOS BY DOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN — SPECIAL TO THE MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL

Redwood’s Miles Harrison (8) high-fives a teammate after scoring a run against Marin Catholic during a MCAL game at Marin Catholic in Kentfield on Thursday.

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By Tim Menicutch

IJ correspondent

Redwood High catcher Ethan Ferry figured it was just a matter of time until the Giants started putting some runs on the scoreboard.

Redwood (7-5-1, 6-4 MCAL), mired in a hitting slump the first couple of weeks of the season, have perhaps put those woes in the rearview mirror.

The Giants, defending MCAL baseball champs, erupted for back-to-back big innings en route to a 9-2 victory against Marin Catholic on a summer-like Friday in Kentfield.

The victory followed an 8-1 victory against the Wildcats on Tuesday in Larkspur.

“We’ve been taking a lot of batting practice and it seems we might have figured it out,” said Ferry, who blistered a two-strike, two-run single to center in Redwood’s tide-turning three-run fifth. “We started the season slow, but it seems like we have settled in some and are relaxing more and hitting the ball a lot better.”

All signs were positive for the Giants when leadoff hitter Theo Trono, the reigning MCAL player of the year, cracked a two-strike fastball over the right-field fence to open the game.

“That kind of set the tempo,” Redwood coach Mike Firenzi said. “The top of the first, the leadoff guy goes deep and bang, it’s 1-0 before the dust has cleared.”The Giants added a run in the second on a Lucas Ghio run-scoring double.

Marin Catholic (7-7, 4-6), however, battled back to tie the score at 2-2. Johnny Greco delivered a run-scoring single in the second and Cooper Benjamin scored from third on a wild pitch in the fourth to tie it.

With spring break looming next week and no league games on tap, Firenzi was taking no chances. Before the fourth inning ended he did not hesitate to call in hard-throwing reliever Matthew Knauer.

Knauer walked MC leadoff batter Luke Martin before buckling down to end the inning when Hunter Valla looked at a called third strike.

Redwood’s fifth-inning rally was not exactly a slugfest.

Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases, sending Ghio to the plate in another pivotal spot.

This time Ghio played little ball, dropping a two-strike suicide squeeze bunt to score TJ Beck from third without a throw.

“We practice that play all the time in practice,” Firenzi said. “We execute and it makes me look smart. If we foul it off, I look like a dummy.”

Ferry, as the next batter, came up with the biggest hit of the game.

“Jack (Moseley, Redwood’s No. 3 hitter) told me the pitcher had kind of a rising fastball so I should swing down on the pitch,” Ferry said. “The pitch was out over the plate and I was just hoping to hit it well.”

The Giants iced the victory with four more runs in the sixth. The big blows of the inning were a two-run double from Miles Harrison and back-to-back deep sacrifice flies from Sam Gersch and Beck.

The run scoring outburst was more than enough for Knauer, who faced one more than the minimum for the final three and one-third innings.

Knauer struck out the side in the sixth on 10 pitches and tallied seven strikeouts in all without allowing a hit.

“He threw a lot of fastballs,” Ferry said. “Once we got the lead, he was just pounding the fastball in there and still hitting all his spots. That makes my job really easy.”

Around the county

• J.P. Harmon and Cohen Garcia combined to drive in five runs as Novato rolled past San Rafael 10-1 on Friday. The Hornets (6-7, 3-5) scored four times in the fourth and four more in the sixth. Harmon started on the mound, allowing seven hits and one run while striking out six in six innings. Cruz Wexler had the RBI for San Rafael (8-7, 6-4).

• Sophomore Kingston Weinberg pitched a complete-game one-hitter in Archie Williams’ 4-0 home victory over Terra Linda on Friday. Weinberg struck out 11 batters and walked two. Senior Jack Evans was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while sophomore Solly Ojalvo doubled, drove in a run and scored for the Peregrine Falcons (8-6, 6-4). Archie Williams scheduled a Spring Break game for Tuesday at Las Lomas, while the Trojans (3-10, 0-8) are on hiatus until April 14, when they face Redwood.

• Tam High banged out 12 hits, led by senior Henry Stoll, during Friday’s 10-1 victory over Branson at College of Marin. Stoll was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs for the Red-Tailed Hawks (11-3, 6-1), who also got two hits, including a double, and an RBI from senior Ryan Simon. Tam ace Eli Solem struck out nine batters and walked one as he scattered three hits during six innings. Branson (5-7, 1-7) scored in the bottom of the seventh when Holden Cane drove in Charlie Osher.