PITTSBURG – Heritage didn’t play its best game.
But when it mattered most, the Patriots found a technique to get the job done.
After struggling to attain runs for five innings, Heritage got here to life late, defeating Pittsburg 4-3 on Thursday and securing its spot as the highest team within the Bay Valley Athletic League standings.
Heritage junior Alonzo Alvarez was 3-for-4 and had two doubles. Elijah Ward totaled two hits and scored a run, while KC Karbowski had a success and an RBI.
Patriots pitcher JJ Kinnaird pitched 5 1/3 innings, striking out three and allowing two runs.
“All week we were preparing to play the best team in our area,” Ward said. “We knew we had to come out and score early and play dominant defense. That’s what we did.”
Pittsburg entered Thursday's game motivated to even the rating against its division rival because the Pirates lost the primary of the two-game series at Heritage 6-2 on Tuesday.
Pittsburg faced a rematch and looked dominant early on.
In the highest half of the fourth inning, pitcher Josh Painter got right into a jam as Heritage runners occupied second and third base with no outs. The senior retired the following batter and helped force a double play later within the inning that put the team out.
In the underside half of the fourth, Pittsburg's offense broke through.
Niko Fuentes' single to center field scored Cole Leschak and Anthony Garcia to offer the Pirates a 2-0 lead.
A half-inning later, Painter retired three of 4 batters because it appeared the Pirates were in complete control of the sport heading into the sixth inning.
Painter finished the day by striking out seven batters in five innings.
The Heritage crowd sat quietly for the primary five innings, but the whole lot modified within the sixth inning.
With a pitch count of 78, Pittsburg coach Marco Cartagena subbed Painter as he remains to be recovering from an injury sustained earlier within the season.
When the Pirates replaced their only pitcher, the Patriots took advantage.
The first three Heritage runners singled, loading the bases for KC Karbowski with no outs. The senior managed to drive in Gio Martini and provides the Patriots their first run of the sport. Jace Bernard tied the sport at 2-2 after being beaten on the following shot.
Sophomore Jett Guevara struggled within the early going as he hit a laser into the midfield wall to offer the Patriots a 4-2 lead.
“They just got hot and got a couple hits in a row,” Cartagena said of losing the lead within the sixth inning. “We were lucky it was only four runs.”
Pittsburg had possibilities to potentially tie or take the lead in the ultimate two innings, but couldn't convert it with runners in scoring position.
In the underside of the sixth, the Pirates' bases were loaded with one out, but grounded right into a double play that ended the inning.
In the seventh, Leschak scored on a wild pitch from second, cutting the Heritage lead to 1 run. With a runner on third and two outs, Pittsburg hit a ground ball that landed in front of relief pitcher Jason Stevens. The junior quickly recovered and threw out the runner at first, ending the sport and giving Heritage a decisive win.
“We knew they were going to be fired up,” Heritage coach Kevin Brannan said. “We knew that if we could find a way to give them a lead, we would play really well. We are at our best when we are ahead.”
The win gives Heritage a two-game lead over first place within the BVAL standings. The Brentwood school has 4 league games left – a two-game series against second-place Freedom before playing fourth-place Liberty in a two-game series.
Pittsburg fell to 3rd within the standings and is currently three games behind, but Cartagena was glad the team turned the battle right into a rivalry game.
“We have to have that energy to move forward,” he said. “We can use the playoff atmosphere today to our advantage. But these are just growing pains. We are a young team and we will continue to improve from here.”
The Patriots, who’re eighth within the rankings Bay Area News Group rankingsconsider they must be considered the most effective team within the North Coast section on par with top teams equivalent to Acalanes, Granada and De La Salle.
“I think we've grown since we lost to Acalanes in our first game and I think we're the best team in the Bay Area right now,” Karbowski said.
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