Gilman Pitching Carries Greyhounds to President’s Cup Title

Near perfect relief pitching by Gilman junior Charles Cross carried the Greyhounds to a 2-0 win over Mt. St. Joe in a baseball game played at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Sunday. The win gave the team the title in the rain-delayed President’s Cup tournament, which was originally scheduled to conclude on Jackie Robinson Day, celebrated on April 16.

Only one runner reached base for the Gaels against Cross, when Gabe Goodney benefited from an error by Greyhound shortstop Thomas O’Neill in the top of the sixth.

“I can’t explain it, it’s really amazing,” Cross said after the game when asked to express how it felt to pitch no-hit ball at Camden Yards. “I’m still dealing with it right now—it hasn’t quite hit me yet.”       

The right-hander constantly kept the Gaels off balance with his assortment of slow stuff.

“I would learn from each at bat—I would learn what they can and cannot hit,” Cross said.  “On that last batter [Gehrig McCracken], I knew he couldn’t really hit a curve ball so I started him off with a curveball. He hit that one pretty well so I just came back with a fastball and luckily he got under it a little and it went directly to the center fielder.”

Cross, who entered the game with one on and one out in the St. Joe half of the second, faced the minimum number of batters, though he drew upon some assistance from his teammates to do so.

St. Joe’s Justin Somerville was inserted as a courtesy runner after Gael pitcher McCracken opened the bottom of the second inning with a sharp single to left off Gilman starter Seve Llanio. With Somerville running on a hit-and-run, Gilman second baseman Michael Dunbar snagged Stephen Hostutler’s sinking line drive just before it hit the ground and turned it into an unassisted double play.

Gilman had some early scoring chances—one set up by a hit batter in the first and the other by an O’Neill swinging bunt and a walk to Luca Simmons in the second—but McCracken cracked down for St. Joe and the runners were left in scoring position in each instance.

Yet it was the third inning, immediately following the unassisted double play, when the Greyhounds twice touched home plate.

Matt Collins opened the inning when he turned a 3-2 pitch into a solid single to left center. Collins, running on a pitch, advanced to second when John Durham hit a slow roller up the third base line. Durham was nipped by a half-step at first for the first out when McCracken fired the ball to first baseman Hostutler.

Gilman’s Ryan Ripken then collected an infield base hit that was deep in the hole beyond second. The St. Joe second sacker stopped the ball but threw wildly to first in an attempt to get Ripken. Collins scored on the throwing error and Ripken advanced to second. Gavin Sheets then lofted a short fly ball past the St. Joe shortstop and into short left field for the third Greyhound hit of the inning. Ripken stopped at third.

With runners on first and third and one out, O’Neill walked on a 3-1 pitch to load the bases. The next batter, Matt Tilley, hit what looked like a double-play ball to second. The Gaels got the out at second but the relay to first was late and Ripken scored Gilman’s second and final run.

A light rain that lasted about two innings began to fall in the bottom of the third and neither team could muster much offense. The only action over the next three innings was a Durham hit for Gilman in the top of the fourth, which was immediately erased on a first-to-short-to-first double play.

The only other runner to reach base from that point forward was Gaels' Hostutler, who reached via the sixth inning Gilman error.

Cross, who got the win, struck out two.

When asked after the game about the infield hit that ultimately scored Gilman’s first run, Ripken said he was jammed on the pitch.

“It wasn’t my best swing, I just tried to put the ball in play,” he said.  “We were able to get the run in. We were fortunate with that.”

Gilman coach Larry Sheets said he hopes his team is able to take advantage of momentum generated by this win and the come-from-behind semifinal win against Friends on Saturday.

“We did everything today you have to do to win games—we made every play today, we threw strikes, we got some key hits, and he [Cross] threw a great game,” Sheets said in a post-game press conference. “This year, we’ve done everything that you do not do to win games,” he said reflecting upon the team’s 4-10 MIAA A conference record and 15-11 overall record.

“We’re on the [playoff] bubble,” Sheets said. “We’ve got to win the two games this week and probably hope for some help.”

Gilman plays tomorrow at Archbishop Curley and at McDonogh on Wednesday.