SAN MATEO, CA - A five-run fourth inning was all the Bellarmine Bells needed to earn a 5-3 victory over the host Serra Padres Thursday afternoon in a West Catholic Athletic League contest.
The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but was pushed back to Wednesday and then Thursday due to poor weather conditions earlier in the week.
Aided by two walks, a balk, three errors and a few passed balls, the Bells were able to easily jump out to a 5-0 lead in the fourth. Lead off hitter Tyler Bindi walked to start the inning and advanced to second and third on passed balls, the second of which hit home plate umpire Jeff Landucci in the wrist. After the delay due to the injured Landucci, Jack Thoreson, the Bells’ biggest run producer, laid down a suicide squeeze bunt, completely catching Serra off guard and allowing Bindi to score, giving Bellarmine a 1-0 lead.
“The start of the inning we got a couple guys on, and really each guy piggy backed off one another,” said Bindi. “We really fed off the dugout’s energy and kept putting in the ball in play, and when you put the ball in play good things happen, and that was nice to see.”
The remaining four runs in the inning were scored on another squeeze that allowed Nick Bellafronto to score, a balk by Padre starter Sean Watkins, a fielder’s choice by Bellarmine’s Nick Chew, and a hot shot to second base that was not fielded cleanly. The five-run inning is the most runs given up in an inning by Serra all season.
Offensively for the Padres, the first six innings were a struggle due in part by a phenomenal effort on the mound by junior Justin Dziuba combined with a stellar defensive performance by the Bellarmine defense. In the first varsity start of his career, Dziuba did not allow a run through six innings and finished the day with six innings pitched, five hits, two runs, and two strikeouts.
“I felt pretty relaxed and I thought it was really important to just keep the hitters off balance and not go for strikeouts,” said Dziuba. “Using my teammates is really important. I trust them with every ball that is in play instead of going for strikeouts.”
Unfortunately for Dziuba, Serra began finding holes in the seventh. Back-to-back base hits by Calvin Riley and James Outman quickly put two runners on base, and that was the end of the line for Dziuba. Both Outman and Riley later scored in the inning on a double by Chris Papapietro, and Papapietro then scored on a sacrifice fly by Angelo Bortolin, making the score 5-3.
But, that was the end of the line for the Padres. Bellarmine sophomore Sid Iyer came in for the Bells, and after a walk and a base hit that loaded the bases, Iyer got Serra starting pitcher Sean Watkins to pop out in foul territory to slam the door on the Padres. The save is Iyer’s fourth of the season.
“Their lefty threw strikes and got ahead of batters. We just didn’t get it done,” said Padres’ coach Craig Gianinno. “We’ve got to learn from that and get better.”
The loss drops Serra to 8-6 (2-4) and ends a three-game winning streak for the Padres. They play St. Ignatius on Friday at Marchbank Field in Daly City.
As for the Bells (9-3, 2-3), they end a three-game skid and look to carry the momentum into their final two games of the week. They return home to play Sacred Heart Cathedral on Friday and then travel up to the City to take on Riordan on Saturday.
“You always want to win before a big stretch, you never want to be in the middle of a losing streak,” said coach Mike Rodriguez. “From that standpoint, this gets us back in the win column and gives us the ability to feed off the momentum from the day before.”
