BRENTWOOD, CA - The Liberty High baseball team used heads-up base-running and timely hitting to pull away from visiting Granada with a four-run third inning, on its way to a 6-2 victory in the first round of the North Coast Section Division I playoffs.
Liberty (16-9) scored four runs on four hits, combined with a stolen base, two Granada errors, a wild pitch, and a passed ball to earn a 5-0 advantage heading into the fourth inning. That was all junior pitcher Stirling Strong needed, as he struck out six in a complete game effort on the mound, allowing just three hits.
“Stirling has risen to the occasion for us late in the season,” said Lions’ coach Joe Vreonis, who has guided Liberty to the quarterfinals in both years at the helm of the program. “This game was exactly what I expected from him.”
The Lions led 1-0 heading to the third inning, when Jon Davis got things tarted with a base hit to right field. Tyler Gormley sacrificed Davis to second, and Dominic Smith drove in the run with a ground ball through the left side.
After Smith stole second base for the second time, RJ Prince and Bryce Prybylinski followed with RBI singles. A Matadors throwing error then allowed Prybylinski to score, giving Liberty a 5-0 lead after three innings.
“Our philosophy is to move the runners over after they get on base,” said Vreonis. “We did a good job advancing on the base paths in the third inning, and scoring some crucial runs.”
Prince added another RBI single in the fifth inning, scoring Smith once again, and the Lions held a comfortable 6-0 lead after five innings.
Nick Sposeto provided the only runs of the game for Granada (12-13) with his two run homer over the left field fence in the top of the sixth inning. Otherwise, Strong was in complete command. He struck out five through the first three innings, and continually induced easy ground balls from the Matador lineup.
It was the second consecutive complete game effort for Strong, who threw a four-hit shutout against Pittsburg in his previous outing.
Liberty advances to face second-seeded College Park in the Division I quarterfinals. The Falcons defeated Berkeley 3-2 in their first round game.
