Here come the Chargers.
Bradley Tirador held visiting Santa Barbara High to just five hits on Friday and Dos Pueblos beat the Dons for the second consecutive day, 5-3. In the span of about 26 hours, DP (10-9, 3-4) has put itself right back in the thick of the Channel League race, while the Dons (15-3-1, 5-3) have fallen out of first place behind Ventura.
Dos Pueblos' Michael Spiritosanto slides home safely under Santa Barbara catcher Colin Eaton. (Vince Agapito photo)
Jesus Salas and Joe Huthsing each had two hits and two RBIs for the hosts, while Tirador went the entire seven innings after not lasting more than four in any of his previous starts. While his stuff isn’t over-powering, the senior’s ability to get ahead in the count had the Santa Barbara offense on its heels for much of the game.
His composure was put to the test right away, as Santa Barbara’s Cameron Gniadek led off the game with a blast over the right field fence. Considering the Dons were out for vengeance after Thursday’s loss at Eddie Mathews Field, it was highly possible that Santa Barbara would start putting up runs early and often.
“That’s a very good team over there, and they were hungry. I knew they were gonna be out for revenge,” said DP coach Nate Mendoza. “You see that first ball get hit over the fence, and you’re definitely questioning what’s gonna happen today. That’s what happened in my head.”
Dons coach Fred Warrecker was thinking along the same lines.
“I was thinking ‘Here we go,'” he said. “It was a very positive sign for us, and he hit it hard. I thought it was just what we needed to take off.”
Tirador, however, spun it in his favor as best he could.
“If anything it helps me, because I just get ticked off and don’t think about it anymore,” he said.
Only a mind-reader would know what he was actually thinking, but whatever it was, it worked. Mendoza is only in his second year at the helm, but he said considering the importance of the game it was the best performance he’s seen.
“Our season is on the line, playoffs aren’t promised to us — not even a little bit — and he comes out here and gives us seven innings… I’m just proud of him because that’s the Bradley I know,” he said.
Huthsing lifted the Chargers out of their early deficit in the bottom of the first, driving in Cory Micheel and Michael Spiritosanto on a two-out single. All three players singled to start the bottom of the third. Santa Barbara third baseman Danny Zandona fielded Huthsing’s ground ball and tried to tag Micheel, but missed as the Charger went around him. Zandona and the Dons thought Micheel had stepped out of the base-path but all three runners were called safe.
Zandona fielded another ground ball from the next batter and threw home for the force out. Santa Barbara starter Kees t’Sas followed with one of his five strikeouts, but Salas picked up a two-run single to score DP’s fourth and fifth runs.
Jack Crummer drove in Santa Barbara’s final two runs on a double in the top of the fifth, but Tirador would end up retiring seven of the next eight batters to shut the door.
Warrecker said he’s happy that the Dons will have to “get back on the horse that kicked you” in the Chatsworth Tournament against Granada Hills on Saturday.
“We’ve lost our confidence swinging the bat a little bit, so the game down there tomorrow is big for us because we get a chance to bounce right back and play,” he said.
The Chargers host Buena on Tuesday.
DOS PUEBLOS 5, SANTA BARBARA 3
Santa Barbara…100 020 0 — 3 5 0
Dos Pueblos…203 000 x — 5 9 1
t’Sas, Dewell (6) and Eaton. Tirador and Salas. WP — Tirador (1-3). LP — t’Sas (2-1).
2B — SB: Crummer. DP : Spiritosanto. HR — SB: Gniadek (1st inn., solo).
