For Serra junior Matt Blais, making his first start of his varsity career in the Central Coast Section semifinal was just another day on the mound.
Normally a reliever, Blais threw a complete game in a 6-0 Serra victory against San Benito at San Jose Municipal Stadium.
Sporting a 3.00 earned run average over 37 1/3 innings on the season, Blais completely silenced the Haybalers, giving up only three hits and striking out eight while walking two.
“I just went through my normal starting routine, and today I wanted to use my defense as I always do,” said Blais. “They played great behind me and that’s what led to our success.”
The defensive effort for San Benito did not go as well as coach Billy Aviles would have liked. The Haybalers defense committed four errors while their pitching walked nine batters and hit two.
“They just didn’t take care of the baseball, that’s the bottom line,” said Aviles of his defense. “We just had a bad day, that’s all I can say.”
The Padres capitalized on the errors, posting six runs despite only four hits. Three of their six runs came in the sixth inning, with the offensive charge led by senior catcher Michael Tinsley. With runners on first and second, Tinsley skipped a ball by left fielder Dylan Yamasaki for a two-run double, putting the game out of reach for San Benito.
“My first instinct was to listen to our coaches. We picked their signs about the third inning so we new what pitches were going to be thrown,” said Tinsley. “That time I heard what [coach] was saying and he was right. I give a hand to the coaching staff and the guys who picked up their signs.”
Tinsley finished the day 1-for-3 with a walk and had two RBI. Serra star center fielder Jordan Paroubeck assisted in the offensive effort, going 1-2 with a triple, run scored, stolen base and two walks.
On top of having trouble getting runners on, the Haybalers struggled with execution. Laying down bunts was tough for San Benito, and striking out eight times didn't help either. A notable performer for San Benito was second baseman Cody Freitas, who went 1-for-3 with a double.
Despite his team’s performance, coach Aviles is proud of his team’s season.
“We just like to work hard, hopefully we’ll be back next year,” he said. “I want to thank my boys, they played hard all season.”
Serra coach Craig Gianinno is looking forward to the CCS finals.
“We’ll have two good days of practice. Look to play against the game … the game itself is hard enough,” Gianinno said. “We’re excited to play in the championship game, these kids deserve to be where they are.”
Serra will take on No. 1-seeded St. Francis at 7 p.m. at Muni. St. Francis was tri-champions of the West Catholic Athletic League, along with Serra and Bellarmine.
