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The Roosevelt Mustangs got on the board first, but Wilson posted four unanswered runs off ten hits, benefiting from a complete team performance at the plate as well as the methodical work of starting pitcher J.T. Mazalewski in a 4-2 CIF Wild Card win that officially puts the Bruins into the first round.<\/p>\n
Mazalewski was excellent, giving up four hits and two runs in six complete innings of work. <\/span>“I was a little nervous in the first couple innings,” he said after the game, “And I didn’t really have my best stuff, but once I got going I was okay.” <\/span>The Mazalewski style was in full effect in the fourth and fifth, as he went three-up\/three-down by forcing the Mustangs to ground out. <\/span>For more on Mazalewski’s excellent game (which coach Andy Hall called “vintage J.T.”), check out Brian Baiotto’s story<\/a> about his performance under pressure.<\/p>\n But aside from crafty pitching, Hall told his team before the game: “You gotta hit to win in the playoffs,” and clearly his squad was listening.<\/p>\n Knowing their pitcher didn’t have his best stuff and watching the early Mustangs run go on the board in the top of the second (P.J. Rodriguez, on base after being beaned, was scored by teammate Kevin Zeckzer’s triple), the Bruins knew they needed to step up down 1-0 headed into the bottom of the second.<\/p>\n With one out, Blake Cooper hit a 3-1 single, and was joined on base by Tyler Dennison, who singled off the next pitch. <\/span>The next batter popped out; then sophomore Sean Buckle put on his hard hat and went to work, in a five-minute at-bat that saw him foul off a half-dozen pitches. <\/span>Finally ‘Stangs pitcher Jesse Manzo hung one a little and Buckle bent it over third base into the corner, scoring both runners on an RBI triple with 2 outs on the board (three of Wilson’s four runs came with two outs). <\/span>Manzo finished the game, but it was clear from that point forward that the Bruins had him.<\/p>\n “That was a clutch piece of hitting,” said Hall. <\/span>“That’s the playoffs, you’ve got to cherish every at bat, and every ground ball.” <\/span>Buckle would double later in the game.<\/p>\n The Bruins scored two more insurance runs in the bottom of the third, posting four runs off seven hits through nine outs of the ball game. <\/span>The Mustangs would score one more, but the atmosphere at Blair didn’t get nervous until the top of the seventh.<\/p>\n With Mazalewski on the bench and Tommy Nance on the mound just three outs away from the win, Wilson’s stands seemed confident, especially after Nance gassed the first two batters, striking the first out swinging, the second looking. <\/span>A single and a walk later, Nance was facing captain Ramon Sandoval, representing the winning run, and a batter who’d reached base three times already that game. <\/span>Sandoval’s single loaded the bases, but didn’t score a run.<\/p>\n Fortunately the next batter, co-captain Rosendo Rojas, hadn’t reached base all day—nor did he in his final at-bat, as Nance gave him the heat again and got him to pop up to second base, ending a game whose finish was a little more exciting than Hall would have preferred. <\/span>“You know, I like to go to the bathroom at the start of the seventh inning,” said Hall, “And then hope when I come back we’ve got an out. <\/span>Sure enough I come back out, and things look good—then they load the bases. <\/span>It was a little more interesting than I would have liked.”<\/p>\n But straight from the exciting win back into the fray, as Wilson will be facing one of the bracket’s best teams in Capistrano Valley in the first round. <\/span>They’ll also be facing Tyler Matzek, the country’s most highly-sought after high school pitcher and a projected top ten pick in the MLB draft. <\/span>His fastball has been clocked at 94 mph. <\/span>“He’s good,” Hall said with a wry smile. <\/span>The game will be on Friday, at 3pm at Capo Valley—we’ll let you know if there’s a time change.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n