Arroyo Grande smashes grand slam in 7th, but falls to first-place St. Joe
Arroyo Grande hadn’t scored a run in 13 innings over the course of two straight games this week versus first place St. Joseph (16-4-1, 8-1 Mountain).
But the Eagles (14-7, 5-4 Mountain) got just the blast they needed to jumpstart the scoring in dramatic fashion.
Down 4-0 with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning on Friday at home, senior Tanner Bournonville came to the plate looking to do some damage.
Bournonville sent a fastball down the middle sailing over the right-center field fence and just like that Arroyo Grande was right back in the game, knotting the contest up at 4-4.
After a scoreless eighth in extra innings, St. Joseph’s Santana Covarrubias doubled in the go-ahead run in the ninth. And then Arroyo Grande had the potential tying run on third with one out, but a lineout to third doubled off the Eagles runner to end the game with a 5-4 St. Joseph win.
Arroyo Grande sits in second place in the Mountain League, with nine regular season games remaining.
The Eagles lost 1-0 to St. Joseph on Wednesday as Knights pitcher Mason Majewski recorded a perfect game.
Arroyo Grande Coach Steve Tolley was happy with the way his team competed, despite the close losses, and feels optimistic about the road ahead.
“We’re having a good season,” Tolley said. “I’m proud of the players. We battled. We had some tough one-run losses against a very good St. Joe’s team. I’m proud of the kids, though, today to come back down four runs down and make it a game. We were unfortunate on the last out lineout. We’ll be right in there at the end, and we’ll compete in the playoffs.”
Grand Slam Breakdown
Bournonville, who doubles as a pitcher and outfielder, said that he was looking for a ball to drive with the game on the line.
“I definitely went up there thinking we needed a home run,” Bournonville said. “I was in an 0-for-10 streak, which is very unlike me, and then I went up there and just like was trying to make good contact. And it happened.”
Bournonville, who’s batting .328 and leads the Eagles with 5 home runs and 21 RBIs this year, said he was looking to hit the pitch right where it ended up.
“My approach was just trying to hit a line drive to the opposite field and not roll over,” Bournonville said. “I wanted to hit something hard.”
The four-year varsity player said that his growth as a player has included getting stronger and adding power.
“I’ve worked a lot in the weight room,” Bournonville said. “My freshman year I was hitting balls out in batting practice, but not really in the game. And then this year, I’ve really been able to put a lot of strength on and hit a lot of balls out consistently.”
Players Who Shine
The Eagles’ Zack Johnson came on in relief of Thomas Winterberg, who gave up four runs in four innings, and Johnson tossed three scoreless innings to keep Arroyo Grande within range.
Cal State Fullerton-bound Connor Chanley tossed five scoreless innings for the Knights leading up to the frenzied finale, when Arroyo Grande tallied its scoring against reliever Lucas Woodruff.
Junior Eagles catcher Jones Stumph and shortstop Ruben Servin, a Loyola Marymount commit, each had two hits in the game.
Servin, whom Tolley called the “best shortstop in the area,” is second on Arroyo Grande with a .477 batting average through 21 games. Anders Winter was leading the team at .613 in 17 games before suffering a wrist injury after being hit by a pitch.
“(Winter) was third in the nation in hitting when he got hit on the wrist, so he’s been out,” Tolley said. “That’s a big loss, that kid. But our kids are stepping up. We’re right where we should be. A couple wins this week would have been nice, but we’re right there.”
Tolley complimented the pitching performance of Grady Pope, who only gave up four hits and no earned runs in five innings pitched on Wednesday in the one-run loss.
Servin, a left-handed hitter and righty thrower, said he strives to do the little things to improve as a player.
“I kind of try to separate myself from others by doing some of the things high school players often don’t like to do, like going to bed early,” Servin said. “I’m just trying to stay on my guys, trying to help my team win as much as possible. So I think the team drives me to work harder, and I just want to do my best for them.”
Servin added: “We just have to stay focused, put this one in the past, and just look forward to the next game.”
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