Baseball wins a wild one late

Despite seven errors in the game, the Toreros plate five in the eighth for a comeback victory 

Anderson Haigler | Sports Editor | The USD Vista

Baseball teams don’t often win games in which they commit several errors. Defensive miscues, lamented by players and detested by coaches, can shift the outcome of tight games, and are frequently the difference between victory and defeat between otherwise evenly matched teams. 

Last Friday night, the Toreros committed seven of them, an uncharacteristic season high. In a matchup against the Saint Mary’s College Gaels, who featured an identical West Coast Conference (WCC) record as the University of San Diego at the time, it appeared that those errors would come back to bite the Toreros as the game went on. USD, however, refused to let their own defensive mistakes be the determining factor in the series opener. 

A late-game rally saw the Toreros storm back from a five-run deficit in the eighth inning to take a 9-8 lead over the Gaels, as USD attempted to do justice to a sharp start on the mound from junior Paul Richan. An inning later, they won by the same margin, earning a gritty comeback victory that embodied the sense of resilience and persistence the Toreros have emphasized all year. 

The game began with Saint Mary’s getting on the board first — a pair of errors by the Toreros led to an early 1-0 lead for the Gaels in the top of the opening frame. USD, however, quickly answered with runs of their own. 

Leadoff man Tora Otsuka got things started with a hard line-drive single that appeared to hit Gaels pitcher Nick Frank in the leg. Immediately after, first-year first baseman Shane McGuire sent another ball up the middle for a single, this time missing Frank. Junior third baseman Brhet Bewley bounced the Toreros’ third hit of the game past the third baseman, and the Toreros had evened the score at one. 

In the opening frame of the game, however, USD did not stop there. A balk, followed by double from senior Daniel Gardner, gave both the Toreros and starter Richan a 3-1 lead to work with after just one inning of play. 

Following a sloppy first inning defensively, USD seemed to settle in. With a crisp fastball that is reported to sit in the low 90s (MPH) complemented by effective off-speed offerings, Richan struck out two of three batters in the top of the second, then proceeded to strike out the side in the third. 

The fourth inning, though, saw defensive blunders cost the Toreros yet again. With nobody out in the top of the fourth, a soft pop-up carrying a lot of spin appeared to hit the palm of Shane McGuire’s glove before bouncing loose as he ranged into foul territory, allowing Gaels right fielder Matt Green another chance in the batter’s box. He promptly singled. 

Another single from second baseman Edward Haus then put two Gaels aboard. A wild pitch from Richan advanced them into scoring position, and both would come around to score a few pitches later on an errant back-pick attempt to third base by junior catcher Jay Schuyler. By the end of the top of the fourth inning, the score was tied yet again, this time at three.

Despite the errors occurring around him, Richan continued to be effective against Saint Mary’s hitters. He would end his outing with 6 2/3 innings pitched, scattering six hits across those frames, and surrendered just one earned run on the night. Head coach Rich Hill spoke about Richan’s Friday night performance.

“I think (Richan) was sharp at times,” Hill said. “He just has that ability to kinda dial it up a notch sometimes. When he’s (pitching) down, and it’s breaking sharp, he looks like a big league pitcher.”

Richan described how he felt during his start.

“I felt good,” Richan said. “I still felt like I was a little wild — my accuracy could’ve been a little bit better, but it was a step in the right direction.”

Following two quick outs in the seventh, though, Richan surrendered a double to left fielder Brett Rasso, bringing his pitch count to 106 on the night, enough for Hill to make a move to the bullpen for junior left-hander Anthony Donatella. Though the runner on second was not of his own creation, Donatella quickly continued the Toreros’ seemingly year-long trend of giving up runs late in the game. He surrendered another double to catcher Jackson Thoreson, scoring Rasso, and giving the Gaels their second lead of the game by a score of 6-3. Donatella soon gave way to first-year righty Gabriel Ponce, and by the end of the eighth, the Toreros faced an 8-4 deficit following a myriad of hits allowed and errors committed. 

Hill stated that his team’s lapses on defense, while uncharacteristic of his players, were a factor in how the game unfolded.

“(The errors) absolutely factored into the score, I think,” Hill said. “We came into the series leading the WCC in defense, and we haven’t done that all year. You know, the Shane McGuire thing, Brhet Bewley, those are kinda aberration type of errors. Those are all kind of freak kind of things.”

In the bottom of the eighth, things began to shift USD’s way. A single from Tora Otsuka started a Torero rally yet again, and the first-year outfielder was quickly joined by teammates Shane McGuire and Jay Schuyler on the base paths as the Gaels’ pitching walked the bases loaded with no outs. Yet another walk plated Otsuka. A sacrifice lineout to center from designated hitter Kevin Collard scored Shane McGuire, and the once-robust Saint Mary’s lead was quickly cut in half. 

As the Gaels’ lead narrowed in the bottom of the eighth, tensions began to rise in Fowler Park. Bolstered by an angry contingent of Gaels fans, Saint Mary’s head coach Eric Valenzuela received a warning for arguing balls and strikes from home plate umpire Scott Letendre. The Torero bench received a dugout warning for what appeared to be too much rowdiness. And still, USD continued to mount their comeback. 

A pair of singles from senior outfielder Daniel Gardner and junior shortstop Jeff Houghtby brought the Toreros to within one run, and with one out, and a close game in the eighth, Hill elected to go with a pinch hitter in place of left fielder Connor Doyle following Houghtby’s single. As the game hung in the balance, Hill settled on sophomore Dante Gutierrez. 

Gutierrez, who has had just 15 at bats this season, rose to the occasion. He poked a ground ball single through the left side of the infield, and gave his team a 9-8 lead, capping a hard-fought, late game rally for the Toreros. Gutierrez spoke about his at-bat, as well as his mindset before he stepped into the batter’s box.

“I always prepare myself like I’m gonna pinch-hit,” Gutierrez said. “I know that Coach Hill has specified me as a pinch hitter, and he was like, ‘That’s your role this year,’ so I’m always prepared and looking for my opportunity. I knew (the Saint Mary’s pitcher) had a good sinker that I missed. I was just hoping that he’d put the ball a little higher, and I guess he did, ‘cause I put the bat on the ball and it just went through the hole.“

Gutierrez stated that his hit in the eighth was the most memorable personal performance he has experienced in a Torero uniform.

“It’s indescribable, a moment like that,” Gutierrez said. “Coming back from being down four runs, it was awesome.”

Hill said that he was appreciative of Gutierrez’s performance.

“Guys like that I just pull for,” Hill said. “It’s awesome because they haven’t been able to contribute like they want to, yet they come to practice every day, they get in the weight room every day, they inspire and encourage their teammates, and when it’s their turn to help us win, they do it. Tonight, he just put a good at-bat together.”

Hill also said that he liked his team’s energy in the dugout during their five-run rally.

“The last couple days we all kinda re-committed ourselves to being positive after every pitch,” Hill said. “And the dugout had great energy, and we just believed we were gonna win the whole time.”

After the Toreros’ big eighth inning, they looked to redshirt first-year pitcher Travis Kuhn to close things out. He did so on 13 pitches, earning the save, as well as a 9-8 conference win for USD. 

According to Hill, a large comeback victory like the Toreros had on Friday can have a positive effect on a team’s morale. He described what the win meant to his team.

“Those types of games can change your season,” Hill said. “Because now, we believe that we’re never out of a game, no matter what. You can always mount some type of rally. It’s tremendous for your confidence.”

The Toreros return to Fowler Park on Friday, May 4 at 6 p.m. for a conference series against Gonzaga University.