Thursday, May. 15, 2008

It's all over -- no, wait: GV's big inning almost for naught

By JAMES BURNS
jburns@mercedsun-star.com

STOCKTON -- Matt Thissen nearly jinxed his boys.

After watching six of his first seven batters cross home plate, the Golden Valley assistant baseball coach came close to calling it a lock.

A done deal.

"Six runs should be enough for Trevor (Cesar)," Thissen whispered along the first-base line. "I hope."

Instead, Thissen almost witnessed a disaster.

Golden Valley erupted for eight runs in the first inning and then overcame Cesar's roughest start in three seasons to knock Tracy out of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs.

Stefan Arnsberg, Phillip Greenberg and Jeff Spinardi drove in two runs apiece in Golden Valley's wild 8-5 victory on Wednesday night at the University of the Pacific.

Cesar got the win, but didn't want it.

Instead, he gave it to Ralf Vasquez, who pitched five innings of long relief, and an army of hitters.

"I feel lucky," Cesar said. "I didn't deserve this one. This win doesn't belong to me -- it belongs to Ralfie and the guys."

Golden Valley's supporting cast shined under the lights.

Garrett Borba ignited GV's big first inning with an infield double that landed within a few feet of the pitcher's mound.

The entire Tracy infield stood frozen, staring into the hazy sky, and nobody even attempted to catch towering pop-up.

Borba, meanwhile, was hustling all the way and slid head-first into second with the strangest double of his career.

The botched play seemed to unhinge Tracy, which suddenly couldn't stop the bleeding.

Jordan Locke followed two batters later with an RBI single -- kicking off a run of five straight base hits, including back-to-back two-run singles by Greenberg and Spinardi.

Alex Fletcher (double), Borba (single) and Arnsberg (single) also drove in runs as Golden Valley jumped out to an 8-0 lead.

In a shocking twist, Cesar nearly gave it all away.

The Duke-bound senior gave up four runs on two hits and five walks in just two innings -- easily his shortest start of the season.

Cesar battled control -- and his lunch, too, it seems -- right from the jump.

He began the game with eight consecutive balls, surrendered back-to-back doubles -- though one was jam shot that trickled over third base and could have been the final out of the inning.

Cesar could have settled down after getting out with an 8-3 still intact, but then he walked the bases loaded with two outs in the second inning.

One run scored on a error before Cesar left the bases jammed on third-out fly ball.

"It wasn't nerves," Cesar said. "I wasn't feeling well before the game and I thought it got better, but I couldn't get into a groove.

"I can't really explain it. I guess it was just bound to happen."

Fortunately for Trevor and GV, his "little guy" saved him.

Vasquez pitched the final five innings, giving up one run on three hits.

The submarine specialist escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth and then finished off the victory with two strikeouts.

"I was throwing them nothing but off-speed stuff. I didn't want to give them anything they could hit," Vasquez said.

"Trevor's our star, so I'm used to going down to the bullpen in the fifth to get some work. I was surprised they needed me so soon. Shocked, actually."

The win sets up a playoff rematch with Beyer High -- 12-2 winners over Tracy West in Wednesday's opener -- on Monday at 4 p.m.

Golden Valley (18-9) knocked Beyer out of the playoffs last season with an 11-inning victory.

Tracy finished its season 21-5.

Division I South Playoffs, Round 1

at UOP's Klein Family Field, Stockton

GOLDEN VALLEY 800 000 0--8 9 2

TRACY 310 001 0--5 5 2

Trevor Cesar, Ralf Vasquez (3) and Alex Fletcher; Daniel Heefner, B.J. O'Bryan (1) and Johnny Espana. WP -- Cesar; LP -- Heefner.

GOLDEN VALLEY -- Garrett Borba 3-4 (2B, 2 RBI), Stefan Arnsberg 1-3 (2 RBI), Jordan Locke 1-3 (RBI), Kyle Black 2-4, Phillip Greenberg 1-4 (2 RBI), Jeff Spinardi 1-2 (2 RBI), Alex Fletcher 1-3 (2B, RBI).

TRACY -- Bobby Agard 2-4 (2 2B), Heefner (2B, RBI).

Records: Golden Valley 18-9, Tracy 21-6.