By Zach DeMarcus
February 23, 2018
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Senior Captain Michael Stefanic went four for five at the plate this afternoon – breaking Westmont's all-time hit record in the process. Westmont Baseball (11-6, 5-5 GSAC) edged Menlo in this afternoon's Golden State Athletic Conference game by a score of 8-7.
 
Westmont head coach Robert Ruiz said, "It was a wild one. I'm happy to see the way the guys responded to a little adversity early in that game."
 
The adversity came quickly for Westmont's starting pitcher Grant Gardner (3-0). The first batter of the game reached on an error. The next hit a line drive right back at Gardner – the ball nailed the top of his pitching hand. Gardner said he was good to continue after a few practice pitches. Joe Gillette came up for Menlo and he whacked a 2-1 offering from Gardner well over the left field fence for a three-run home run.
 
Gardner would settle in and grind out six plus innings of work. He gave up six runs, four earned, on five hits. Ruiz said, "I can't say enough about Grand Gardner and the toughness that he brought to the table today – taking that line drive straight off the back of his pitching hand. I didn't think there was any way he would keep pitching and he pitched unbelievably well."
 
Westmont got on the board in the bottom of the third as Taylor Bush led off the inning with a first-pitch solo home run over the left field fence. Stefanic and Luke Coffey reached on back-to-back singles – bringing up Henry Hedeen. Hedeen nailed a 1-0 pitch over the fence in center field – giving Westmont a 4-3 lead.
 
Menlo tied the game in the top of the fifth. With two outs, John Velasco reached on an error. He then advanced to second on a pass ball. Justin Wallis sharply hit a groundball down the right field line to score Velasco to tie the game at four.
 
The Warriors responded with two big flies in the bottom of the fifth to reclaim the lead. Coffey left the yard on a full-count fastball over the left field fence. Isaiah Leach smoked the first pitch he saw deep over the fence in left center.
 
Ruiz spoke of his team's offensive approach saying, "We were trying to do too much early. We did get pitch count up in the first couple of innings, but we couldn't get guys across. As we calmed ourselves down, we were able to figure out a way to get some barrels on some balls and get things going. We were fortunate to hit some home runs today – that certainly helps."
 
Stefanic added his third hit of the afternoon in the bottom of the sixth. He singled to right field on a full-count offering. That hit being his 222^nd career hit as a Westmont Warrior – crowning him as the all-time hit leader. He passed Ryan Eisele (1998-01) to claim the record.
 
Ruiz added, "Stefanic, for four years, has been an unbelievable leader as a hitter and a sparkplug in our offense. He finds ways to pick this team up. Mike breaking the career hits record, I think that's just a testament to the fact that he's been a competitor since the day he stepped foot on this campus. I'm super excited for him. That's an incredible accomplishment. This program has history – lots of good players have come through here."
 
Menlo's Brice Foster singled to lead off the top of the seventh. Mason Allen followed with a double that advanced Foster to third. Velasco then drew a walk to load the bases – ending Gardner's afternoon. Left-hander Cory Dawson came in out of the bullpen.
 
Dawson enticed Wallis to hit a groundball to Stefanic at second base. Stefanic stepped on his base for the force out and instead of throwing to first, noticed Allen in no-mans-land between second and third base. He threw to Coffey who chased down Allen to complete the unconventional double play – Foster scored on the play. It was a heads up play to get the lead runner, but that made no difference as Gillette came up next and hammered a pitch over the right center fence for a two-run home run.
 
Westmont tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. Hedeen collected his third hit of the game with a leadoff double to right center. He advanced to third on a groundout to the second baseman from Leach. Austin Muller came in to pinch hit for Travis Vander Molen. Muller hit the 0-0 offering up the middle for an RBI single to tie the game at seven.
 
Dawson went back to work in the eighth. He surrendered a leadoff single to Bruce. Alexander Thompson advanced Bruce to second on a sacrifice bunt. Dalton Maxwell hit a line drive that was destined for center field, but Dawson acrobatically reached across his body to snag the potential go-ahead, RBI-single baseball out of the air. He then threw to second base to double up Bruce for the force out – ending the eighth unscathed.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, Bush hit a one-out double down the right field line. He then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Stefanic did what he does best and came up clutch for the Warriors with an RBI-single through the right side to score Bush for the game-winning run.
 
Ruiz added, "I'm really excited for what I saw in Taylor Bush today. He came back after some adversity and hit a home run, then executed a good drag bunt. I think there's a lot to be said about his ability to stay in the present moment. I want to commend him for a job well done.
 
"It was a big time day for that guy through the adversity that he had by making two errors, striking out early, and getting pinch hit for and then coming back and hitting that double it just shows that he's ready to play and he's ready to be there for his team and put the team ahead of himself."
 
Lance Simpson came in to pitch the ninth inning for the Warriors. Foster struck out swinging through a high fastball. Allen struck out looking on a slider. Velasco drew a walk to try and muster up a late rally, but Simpson would get Wallis to strike out swinging. It took Simpson 25 pitches, but he got the zero and the save the Warriors needed.
 
Ruiz said, "We always talk about being our best competitor on the days that we don't have our A stuff. I don't think he had his slider today. I was really excited to see him compete through that and attack with his fastball and make pitches that he needed to make.
 
"If you're going to win games you need your seniors to do things like that for you. Your upper class guys that have experience need to figure out ways to respond, come back, and be great when you need them. Those guys did that for us today and helped us win a close ballgame," finished Ruiz.
 
The three-game series continues tomorrow with a doubleheader – first-pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.