A setback in the CIF-SS Division 4 Championship game did not discourage the Dos Pueblos High baseball team.
The Chargers opened the CIF Division 3 SoCal Baseball Championships with a 10-2 rout of visiting St. Anthony of Long Beach on Tuesday afternoon. It is the first state tournament victory in program history.
“For [the players], it is a really big deal no matter what happens going forward, but we feel good being at home,” said Dos Pueblos coach George Hedricks. “Whoever we play, we know we’re going to see a good team, and they’re probably going to have a good arm on the mound. We have to find a way to match them.”
Sophomore pitcher Nick Salcido made his first start of the post-season and delivered a memorable big-game performance. He held St. Anthony to one run on five hits with four strikeouts in his four innings on the mound.
“I felt really confident because I knew that I had the rest of the guys behind me,” Salcido said. “I kind of felt like if I could go do what I was supposed to do, that they would back me up.”
St. Anthony’s showed signs of life with three hits in the top of the first inning. Lead-off hitter Nick Galluccio lined a single to center field, but was caught attempting to steal second base by Dos Pueblos catcher Zach Gesswein.
The visiting Saints followed that up with back-to-back two-out singles, but Salcido was able to escape the jam by inducing a fly out to center field.
In the bottom of the first inning, Dos Pueblos loaded the bases with one out after a single by Taylor Young, a bunt single by Gesswein and Alexander Hajda was hit by a pitch. Charlie Potter followed with a ground ball to first base that scored Young and Gesswein after an error by the Saints.
Mateo Saldana followed with a double to right field that scored Hajda, increasing the Chargers’ lead to 3-0. A wild double play off a ground ball by Brody DeMourkas ended the inning.
The Chargers added to their lead in the bottom of the second inning as three straight one-out walks loaded the bases for Gesswein, who lined a single to center field to score Evan Bean and Stone Saunders. Gesswein finished with a game-high three hits.
St. Anthony was able to get on the board with one run in the top of the third, but Salcido was able to come up with a strikeout with runners on first and third to preserve Dos Pueblos’ 5-1 lead.
In the bottom of the third inning, Shane Grant scored on a wild pitch to put Dos Pueblos ahead 6-1, and Young followed with a sac fly that brought home Evan Bean, increasing the Dos Pueblos lead to 7-1.
Derek Brunet and Carter Lowe were solid in relief for Dos Pueblos, and the Chargers put the game away with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning highlighted by a Hajda double that scored Young and Gesswein.
The Chargers will now host University City of the San Diego Section in the Regional Semifinals on Thursday.
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