Pintos win in all-around fashion

Releif pitcher, Jackson Trachsel, makes a pitch in the 9-3 win against Harrisburg on Thursday, April 30.
Releif pitcher, Jackson Trachsel, makes a pitch in the 9-3 win against Harrisburg on Thursday, April 30.

CALIFORNIA - While it won't show up on the stat sheet, the bottom of the order came through for the Pintos in their 9-3 win over Harrisburg Thursday. The entire lineup produced 13 hits, including five extra base hits.

"I was proud of Greg Schroeter tonight," California coach Jason Gatlin said. "He laid down two perfect bunts and those are the little things that we need to start doing. He moved the runner over from first to second both times with ease."

The six through eight spots in the order have been an issue all season long, prompting Gatlin to try different things in order to get production. On Thursday, Cole Schlup had a hit and a walk and Kyle Lee had an RBI single. Add that to Schroeter's two sacrifice bunts and an RBI for himself, and California was in business.

But the one through five hitters are still the stars of the show, as they all had two hits in the contest.

"The top of the order does what the top of the order does," Gatlin said.

Hunter Heimericks led the offense going 2-for-4 from the plate with four RBI, three coming from his three-run home run in the sixth inning to extended the California lead to 8-3.

"We've been waiting for him to hit the ball hard, I mean, he's hit the ball hard at times, it's just gone right at somebody," Gatlin said. "He finally hit one hard enough to put it over the fence."

Jackson Trachsel had two RBI, battling 2-for-4. Jaden Barr and Alex Dalbey were also 2-for-4, with Barr recording an RBI, and Kyle Stephens was 2-for-5.

Dalbey, Barr, Heimericks and Trachsel each had two runs scored, while Stephens had one.

And the top of the lineup got things started early in the game, scoring three runs in the first inning after the Bulldogs jumped out with the 1-0 lead. Stephens and Dalbey singled to leadoff the inning, then Barr doubled to score Stephens. Heimericks grounded out to shortstop to score Dalbey and Trachsel's single scored Barr.

"We were smarter at the plate, we were more patient," Gatlin said.

In the third inning, Trachsel sent a shot to center field, but Heimericks went back to second to tag up. When the center fielder didn't make the catch, Heimericks sprinted around third and just beat the tag at home to give the Pintos a 4-2 lead.

"I was pushing him," Gatlin said. "He's one of the faster runners on the team. I wasn't going to slow him down at all and he stayed full speed the whole time."

Schroeter grounded out to the pitcher in the next at-bat, but it brought Trachsel home to add to the lead.

The Bulldogs cut the lead to 5-3 when they led off the fifth inning with two singles, the latter single scoring the run. But that runner was stranded at second as California got three-straight outs to end the threat.

Pitching out of jams was something Eli Freeman and Trachsel had to do most of the game. In total, Harrisburg stranded seven baserunners.

"They fought through it today and I was really proud of them," Gatlin said. "They kept their head in the game."

Freeman got the start, pitching 3 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on two hits and striking out four.

"Eli started off a little bit shaky, walked two batters in that first inning, and that's how they got that run," Gatlin said. "But he settled in and he did really well."

Trachsel pitched the final 3 1/3 innings, scattering four hits while allowing one earned run and striking out four.

While the game was close through five innings, the Pintos opened things up in the bottom of the sixth, plating four runs to push their lead to 9-3.

After the home run by Heimericks, Lee singled three batters later to score the final run of the game.