San Mateo American bounces back in Section 3 11s tourney

“It’s basically a total reversal of every game we played in last year,” San Mateo American manager Jason Gordon said.

So, American responded with a decisive 14-1 win in Sunday’s elimination game against San Lorenzo. The regulation six-inning blowout didn’t draw up as one might expect though. After not scoring through the first two innings — running its streak of scoreless frames to eight — American turned to the small-ball attack, bunting relentlessly to scratch out three runs in the third and one more in the fourth.

American finally broke through with a five-run fifth, then scoring five more in the sixth.

“We needed that loss,” American’s Jagger O’Brien said. “We got awakened: ‘OK, people can beat us, now we’ve just go to put our game faces on.’”

O’Brien, batting in the No. 2 spot in the order, got the Barry Bonds treatment in the third inning. American had just taken a 1-0 lead when Connor Workman got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing home the game’s first run. Then — after O’Brien had hit into a double play in the first inning — San Lorenzo opted to intentionally walk him with the bases loaded to force home Joe Biancalana.

“I felt pretty good,” O’Brien said about the intentional walk. “I got a free RBI, but I wanted to get that double.”

American would settle for just two doubles on the afternoon, though. None came off the bat of O’Brien, whose intentional pass was the first of his three walks on the day. But the offense would go on to bunt up a storm in the fourth inning, with a leadoff bunt single from Christopher Moreno, followed by bunt hits from Milo Werner and Hudson Wong.

“I’m proud of them,” Gordon said. “Half those bunts, I didn’t even call.”

Moreno and Wong also combined as a brilliant one-two punch on the mound. Moreno took the start and delivered 3 1/3 innings of scoreless ball, allowing one hit while striking out six, recording four groundouts, and allowing just one ball out of the infield on a first-inning single by Elisha McFarland.

“Just what we needed,” Gordon said.

Wong then entered in the fourth and fired 1 2/3 innings if shutout ball. It was just the second pitching appearance of the All-Stars summer for the right-hander, who had his fastball popping and his curveball dancing.

“Today, I actually felt really good,” Wong said. “My arm was alive and loose, and I threw hard.”

Needing to negotiate the elimination bracket to extend its season, American is faced with winning four games in four days. Sunday’s was win No. 1 on that quest. Gordon used four pitchers to keep pitch counts low, making all four arms available for the rest of the tournament. Only Moreno must rest one day, while Wong, Maddox Stone and Chase Gordon all stayed under 20 pitches, making them each available to pitch Monday.

Every American batter reached base Sunday. Moreno, Werner and Wong had two hits apiece. William Meza reached only on a fielder’s choice in the second, but came through with an RBI groundout in the fifth, and a sacrifice fly to drive home another run in the sixth.

Matthew Ward enjoyed one of the most spirited days at the plate. The No. 3 hitter was struggling to catch up with the fastball of San Lorenzo starting pitcher Dominik Malley, and struck out in each of his first two at-bats. Then in the fifth, facing the San Lorenzo bullpen, Wars was late on two foul balls before taking a half step back in the box, loading his hands earlier, and socking a two-run double off the base of the fence in right-center field.

Cleanup hitter Pono Rosenberg followed with a two-run double in the sixth.

American now advances to Monday’s final elimination-bracket game in the four-team tourney, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.

Danville will be waiting in Tuesday’s championship round, needing be defeated twice to be denied the title. A tentative if-necessary game is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. In Saturday’s opener, Danville starting pitcher Gunnar Lee worked four innings, and reliever Liam Manter closed it out with two innings, in the combined shutout of American.