El Dorado Hills wins second game at state, 9-5; reaches semis

El Dorado Hills held a comfortable 3-0 lead midway through the game against Madera American on Sunday before things got tight. In the second-round game of the state tournament in Danville, Madera American cut the lead to one, 3-2, after the third inning and then tied the game in the fourth, as they were determined to make El Dorado Hills work hard for their second win of the tournament. El Dorado Hills came back with two runs in the fifth and four in the sixth to win the game, 9-5. "We beat a very good, gritty, well-coached Madera team," El Dorado Hills Manager Jason Reichard said. "The final score does not reflect the actual game; this was a dog fight. Our boys have been on the baseball field 40 of the last 50 days. The level of determination, grind and love for the game is something special to watch." El Dorado Hills has reached the semifinals of the tournament and play again on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. against Chico Central. El Dorado Hills scored single runs in each of the first three innings. In the first inning, Jack Trier reached on an error and scored on George Bergamo's single. In the second inning, Aayden Whitworth doubled in a run, and in the third inning, Matt Gabbard singled in the third run. With the game tied at three after four innings, El Dorado Hills came back in the top of the fifth with two runs. Trier tripled in one run and Bergamo then drove in Trier with a single. El Dorado Hills managed four runs in the top of the sixth inning, as Wilson Center and Bodhi Washburn both hit two-run singles. The bottom of the lineup continues to come through for the team. Center singled, drove in two and scored two runs. Washburn and Whitworth each had two hits with Washburn driving in two runs and Whitworth knocking in one. "The bottom of the lineup came up big again today," Reichard said. "From the pitching to the defense to the hitting this was a team win. Good things to come for sure." After a tough game in the first game on Saturday, Bergamo had three hits and two RBIs on Sunday. On the mound, Cole Gibbons started the game and threw 2.2 innings and allowed two runs on two hits and struck out two. JJ Filippini threw two innings and allowed one run on four hits and one strikeout, while Logan Reichard finished the game, throwing the last 1.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits.