For the first time ever, the Greyhound varsity baseball team
will be one of the favorites to win a coveted North Coast Section
2A championship as the post-season gets underway this week.
The Hounds came agonizingly close to its first regular season
league title since 1958, ending the Sonoma County League chase with
a second-place mark of 10-7 and 16-7 overall. The 16 wins also
represent the most ever for a Healdsburg varsity baseball team in a
single season.
³With the weather situation, what more can you ask for from a
team,² said Hounds skipper Mark Domenichelli. ³Overall, I¹m very
happy with the way the season went for us.²
At press time, Healdsburg was preparing to host a first-round
playoff game on May 24 against seventh-seeded Terra Linda at
Mendocino College in Ukiah. For the third year in a row, the Hounds
were denied taking advantage of a true home-field edge at
Recreation Park because of a conflict with the Future Farmers
Country Fair this week. Should Healdsburg advance, they will play
the winner of the El Molino-Fortuna game on Saturday, May 27 (time
and place TBA).
The complete list of NCS 2A teams in order of seeding are:
Arcata, Healdsburg, El Molino, McKinleyville, Tamalpais, Fortuna,
Terra Linda, and San Rafael.
³I think the SCL will be represented in the NCS title game this
year,² Domenichelli said. ³It may come down to either us or El
Molino.²
As expected, the wild SCL race came down to the wire with five
teams within two games of each other heading into the final weekend
of play. Ironically in a year of rainouts, it was the weather that
would play a big part in which team was crowned champion.
The Hounds wrapped up their SCL campaign on Wednesday in a 6-0
win over visiting El Molino as Jorge Gonzalez notched his fourth
win of the campaign in a complete-game, 63-pitch gem.
Justin Brandt led a seven-hit Healdsburg attack with two hits in
four trips, including a pair of RBIs. Corey Harms also chipped in
two hits and drove in pair in the victory. The Hounds turned three
double plays in the game.
On Thursday, the Hounds traveled to Kelseyville in a non-league
make-up clash, riding the hot hand of southpaw Mike White in a 7-0
win. White was masterful, tossing seven innings and fanning eight
while not walking a batter in what amounted to his best outing of
the year. Pacing the Hounds¹ attack was Harms (3 for 4, 2B, 3B),
Brandt (2 for 4, RBI) and Brian Bush (2 for 3, 2B).
On Friday, Healdsburg was relegated to a spectator¹s role,
needing a Windsor win in the Jags¹ scheduled game at Casa Grande.
But the Windsor-Casa game was washed out by rain, taking with it
the title hopes of Healdsburg, El Molino and Windsor.
Only Analy, who managed a rain-soaked victory over Petaluma on
Friday, would benefit from the wet weather. The Tiger win set up a
championship game against Casa Grande on Saturday, which the
Gauchos won 4-3.
Team notes: Sophomore Corey Harms finished the league season as
the team¹s top hitter with a .462 batting average, four doubles, a
home run, 10 stolen bases and 19 RBIs. Other top hitters include
Norm Lausten (.395, 6 2Bs, 2 HRs, 25 RBIs), Kory Hirtzer (.386, 6
2Bs, HR, 19 RBIs, 15 runs), Gonzalez (.349, 3 2Bs, 12 RBIs, 15
runs), Brandt (.348, 9 RBIs), Jake Miller (.338, 18 runs, 12 RBIs,
9 SBs), Rigo Jacinto (.289, 11 runs, 7 RBIs, 9 SBs), Brooks
Gerstley (.267, 13 runs, 7 RBIs), Brian Bush (.256, 11 runs, 6
RBIs) and Jared Garcia (.244, 9 RBIs)
