Sports

Thursday, Jul. 09, 2009

Summer Collegiate Baseball: SLO Blues ground Pilots

San Luis Obispo takes advantage when Santa Maria pulls its starting pitcher and wins 4-0 at home

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The San Luis Obispo Blues found the answer they were looking for — break into the Santa Maria Pilots bullpen.

After being shut down by Pilots starting pitcher Jacob Valenzuela, the Blues didn’t waste much time once he came out after the sixth inning.

San Luis Obispo scored three times during the seventh en route to a 4-0 summer collegiate baseball win at SLO Stadium on Thursday night.

“I don’t know what it is against the Pilots, but they’ve played hard and we don’t really blow them out. They’re close games,” Blues manager Chal Fanning said.

With Valenzuela on the hill, the Blues managed only one run on four hits and two walks. Valenzuela struck out four and appeared content to pitch to contact than try and overpower the Blues, who scored 11 runs Wednesday against the Santa Maria Valley Packers.

“It’s hard to put a finger on it and it wasn’t like (Valenzuela) was dominant,” Fanning said. “What they do against us is go out and throw strikes and make us go out and get ourselves out. They make us play the game.”

The tone quickly shifted when the Pilots had to dip into the bullpen twice during the seventh. The Blues had six consecutive batters reach base, including a string of four by walk — all with the bases loaded.

William Long had the Blues’ only hit during the inning, a grounder that made it past a diving attempt by Pilots first baseman Skyler Ellis. Long later scored on the first of the four walks.

Long, who went 2 for 3, was responsible for the Blues’ first run by hitting a sacrifice fly during the fourth inning.

Overall, the Blues (26-7) didn’t provide much run support to the pitching staff, which never really needed it.

Split between five pitchers, with none throwing more than three innings, the Blues scattered a pair of hits, two walks and nine strikeouts.

“Everybody showed up (this summer),” Fanning said about how he’ll use a pitcher by committee for some games. “Usually we lose a guy to an injury, the draft or summer school. We had some marginal guys that if we would have lost them, I would have said fine, but they all showed up and we honored our commitment.

“So what we do is we don’t extend the starters, and plus we have to get guys in the bullpen work.”

The Blues starter, Kyle Hendricks, threw three innings allowing one hit, walking one and striking out two.

Providing the bulk of the relief work were Kyle Mertins and Billy Falasco, who pitched two innings apiece. Combined they gave up one hit, one walk and struck out four.

“In a situation where you have probably too many guys in the bullpen or on the mound, we owe it to them to try to get them some work,” Fanning said. “So we have to be creative. Like tonight, we short worked (Hendricks). He stayed on his routine for his start, but he knew he was only going to be in three or four innings because we needed to get some other guys out there.”

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San Luis Obispo Rattlers 2, California Wahoos 1

The Rattlers won their opening game in the Rawlings Cup Tournament in Santa Barbara.

Joe Weik led the Rattlers (21-8) offensively, going 3 for 4 and driving in a run.

Jared Levin pitched two innings in relief to get the win, and Adam Clerici struck out the side in the ninth inning for his 10th save.

San Luis Obispo will play the Santa Maria Valley Packers today at 1 p.m. at Dos Pueblos High.

Tribune staff contributed to this report.