Game 1: Baseball Cruises Past Mesa 3-0
GateWay continued their winning ways with a dominant 3-0 shutout victory over Mesa Community College on Thursday, in the first game of the Region 1 D2 Semi-Finals. Strong pitching and timely hitting propelled the Geckos to their win. The GateWay hitters scattered 10 hits throughout the game, with Nolan Kutcher leading the way by going 2-for-4 with a double, a run, and a stolen base. Jeff Martz had a productive day at the plate as well, driving in a run and going 1-for-4 with a run scored. Treston Shallenberger and Roy Carrasco chipped in with two hits apiece. Also helping out offensively were Kevynn Fernandez with one hit and one RBI and Andrew Hunt with one hit and one run scored.
GateWays starting pitcher Logan Martin was lights-out, tossing a dominant 8.2 innings. He allowed only six hits while striking out eight batters and earning the win. Jeff Martz came on to secure the save by pitching the last out of the ninth inning.
Game 2: GateWay Crushes Mesa 11-1 in Offensive Explosion
The GateWay baseball team put on an offensive clinic on Friday afternoon, defeating Mesa Community College by a score of 11-1 in 7 innings to clinch a spot in the Region Championship. After a slow start with the Geckos putting up no runs in the first 5 innings the offense erupted for 11 runs on 13 hits, with several players contributing big performances. William Mann led the way, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Treston Shallenberger also had a strong outing, driving in 3 runs with a home run in the 7th inning. Kevynn Fernandez joined the home run party in the 7th inning with a grand slam, adding 4 RBI to his stat line. Roy Carrasco chipped in with a double going 3-for-3 and 1 run scored, while Jeter Mauzey had a multi-hit game going 2-for-4 with 3 runs scored. Also contributing were Nolan Kutcher who went 1-2 with 2 walks, 1 run, 1 RBI and a stolen base and Andrew Hunt who was 2-for-4 on the game, scoring 1 run. Jeffery Martz and Macs Carrillo also scored 1 run apiece, ensuring every batter crossed the plate at least 1 time during the game.
The Geckos pitching staff was equally impressive, allowing just one run on four hits. Starter Andres Gonzalez earned the win, tossing five innings and giving up only one earned run while striking out one batter. Mat Mayer and Alex Hernandez combined for two scoreless innings of relief, shutting down the Mesa offense.
Looking Ahead
With this win, GateWay moves on to the Region 1 D2 Championship. They will play the winner of the Chandler-Gilbert and Paradise Valley Series.
