The short swings went a long way for the Dos Pueblos baseball team Friday in the Channel League opener against Santa Barbara High and its ace Kevin Gowdy.
The Charger batters shortened their swings against the hard-throwing Gowdy and were successful hitting the ball to the opposite field for several big hits in a 6-2 victory at Eddie Mathews Field.
“We talked to the boys about staying short to the ball, having a good ‘opp-ball’ approach, and I thought it showed when they were able to put the ball in play,” said DP coach George Hedricks about the team’s hitting approach against the UCLA signee. “Our hardest hits were mostly to the right side and it worked out really well for us. I thought our boys did a good job showing discipline and fighting through some adversity early in the game.”
After Santa Barbara tied the score at 2-2 in the fifth, DP came back with four runs in the sixth inning. Quin Peacock singled to the right side and Dustin Demeter followed with a booming double off the top of the right-field fence. Colter Nisbet stroked a two-run single up the middle to give the Chargers (6-2, 1-0) the lead for good. They added two more runs on a RBI double by Josh Feldhaus down the right-field line and a two-out single by Peter Appel, and chased Gowdy.
“My approach was sit back and let the bat do the work,” said Feldhaus, who had two doubles. “With a pitcher throwing that hard, you just got to put the bat on the ball and it goes far. I shortened my swing up a little bit and let the bat take over.”
Santa Barbara coach Donny Warrecker lauded Dos Pueblos for regaining the momentum after the Dons (2-2. 0-1) tied the score.
“You really have to hand it to them in the sixth inning,” he said. “We always talk about if a team scores on us, we want a response. I have to hand to them. We tied up the game and they had a significant response. I give credit to their hitters. They beat a really good pitcher and they barreled up quite a few balls. “
The four-run lead was plenty of a cushion for DP starter Darby Naughton, who went the distance for his third win of the season. The steady junior right-hander frustrated the Dons when they put runners on base. He allowed eight hits and two runs while striking out four.
Down 2-0, Santa Barbara scored a single run in the third on a two-out double by Joe Firestone to right field and a single by John Jensen to the right side. Naughton avoided further damage by striking out the next batter looking.
The Dons knotted the score in the fifth. Tommy Holguin drew a one-out walk and Firestone sacrificed him to second. Jensen ripped a double off the right-field fence to score Firestone for a 2-2 tie. Naughton then induced a fly out in foul territory to end the inning.
“I thought he labored a little in the middle (innings), but he showed a ton of heart, a ton of fight,” Hedricks said of Naughton. “He wanted the ball. I gave him a chance to go back out there and he didn’t disappoint.”
Naughton is a model of calmness on the mound.
“He kind of has a light heart about him He’s always smiling. But when he gets out there, even though he may seem relaxed, he’s an intense ballplayer, he’s a fighter,” said Hedricks.
Said Warrecker: “You have to tip your cap to him. He’s a veteran pitcher, he did very well on varsity last year. He’s very competitive, had very good command of multiple pitches and commands the zone.”
Naughton said his job is made easier when his team scores runs and plays good defense like it did on Friday.
“I didn’t do too much, that was all the offense,” he said. “We just hit the ball. It was awesome. We hit the ball, we put it in play and made things happen. It’s a team effort and we’ve all been contributing. I can’t ask for anything more when your team puts up runs. It’s so relaxing and makes my job so much easier.”
On the defense: “Across the board, when the ball is hit, I don’t even have to look at the ball. I know it’s an out,” Naughton said. “Jensen had two hits that were just monster shots. I tip my hat to that. They hit some balls hard but we just played some great defense.”
Dos Pueblos jumped on Gowdy for two runs in the second inning. Demeter reached base on an error, stole second and scored on a double to left-center field by Feldhaus. Feldhaus advanced to third base after a wild-pitch strikeout and came home on Appel’s double off the top of the right-field fence.
“They played errorless defense and we made one error,” Warrecker said. “They had three hits through five innings, so I thought Kevin was doing a good job.”
The Chargers made adjustments and beat the Santa Barbara ace.
“It’s intense, my heart is still racing,” said Hedricks of facing Gowdy and the Dons for the first time as the DP head coach. “I know this is only one of three games we face these guys. It feels really good now but have to get back to work. They’re going to be tough every time we play them.”
Said Feldhaus: “It was a blast, especially being a rivalry game and against that pitcher. And, to do so well against them, is great.”
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.