Six run fourth inning leads Grizzlies to game one win over Timberwolves

In a battle between two former league rivals, the Granite Bay Grizzlies baseball team defeated the Woodcreek Timberwolves 11-6 in the first game of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinals on Monday. The game, which lasted three hours and 10 minutes, was tied 2-2 entering the third inning when Grizzlies sophomore Jace Bystrowski hit a solo home run to take the lead. Granite Bay High added another run later in the inning before putting up six in the fourth, including a two-run homer by senior Christian Schiavo. Woodcreek High also had two costly errors in the inning that led to two Grizzly runs. "We scored in every inning except for two and that's the way you win a ball game at the high school level," Grizzlies coach Pat Esposito said. "They made some mistakes but we put some balls in play after that to make it hurt a bit more. They are well-coached and you can't go to sleep on them. We got zeros in the last two innings, which hurt a bit and we could've compounded on that score." Despite being down nine runs, the Timberwolves closed out the game on a high note as sophomore pitcher Bryson Ruiz went 3.2 innings and struck out four batters while only allowing a single run. Ruiz was called up to the team after playing most of his season on JV. "He's phenomenal," Timberwolves coach Lucas Conn said. "Our two guys who have been real solid for us just didn't have it today and you know that's baseball. Bryson came in and I'm very proud of him. He pitched in some high-pressure scenarios on JV and he came in and threw strikes, which we needed." Offensively, the Timberwolves scored four runs in the seventh inning, two from singles by Ty Hennessy and Conner Barth. The game ended with the bases loaded and Woodcreek High stranded 11 runners on the base pads, including seven in scoring position. "We've kind of had this mantra of passing the torch one at-bat at a time, so I'm proud of them that they stayed in it," Conn said. "I feel there were a couple of incidents where we were making solid contact but it was right at guys. The big part of it is not guessing pitches. We just need to continue to have team at-bats and get guys over and we'll be fine. Matthew Leonard received the loss on the mound for the Timberwolves while junior Peter Caldera earned the win with 2.2 innings pitched and two strikeouts. Schiavo also had a run batted in (RBI) for the Grizzlies in the first inning to get the scoring started while senior Cody Ferrante hit an RBI double in the second inning. Donovon Stephens had an RBI in the third inning while Bystrowski hit a sac fly in the fifth inning. Sophomore Chase Bentley had an RBI in the fourth inning. Game two of the best of three series is scheduled for Wednesday, after press time, at Granite Bay High. If the Grizzlies win, they advance to the Division II championship game with hopes to repeat as champions. A Timberwolves win will result in a game three at Woodcreek High on Thursday. "We have to play a good game," Esposito said. "We've got to have our offense and keep getting good performances from the mound. They're going to throw their guys and we're going to try to match him."