Moving on Up: Calhoun Tops Oceanside to Join Kennedy in Class AA Semis

There's nothing like setting the tone early.

In the game's opening at-bat yesterday, Calhoun's Dan Sullivan smoked an Eric Kondak pitch to center field. Joe Gallup mistakenly broke in on the ball. Gallup tried to recover, but the ball glanced off of his glove, and Sullivan ended up on second.

Kondak retired the next two to face him, but the error allowed Robbie Rosen to hit, and he crushed a two-run bomb to give the visiting Colts a 2-0 lead.

Some timely defense and gritty pitching allowed the Colts to fend off the pesky Sailors from Oceanside en route to a 9-5 win to advance to the Class AA semifinals.

"I was actually a little bit early," Rosen said, talking about his homer. "I was able to get the barrel on the ball, and it went out."

Calhoun would increase their lead to 3-0 in the second when Alex Ras scored on a wild pitch by Kondak. Ras was all over the place for the Colts on the night, as he went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two runs and an RBI.

"I felt good at the plate," Ras said. "I have been in a prolonged slump for the past six or seven games, and it's nice to be able to have a big game like this."

John Mekelburg got the start for the Colts, and he was battling all night. After retiring the first four batters to face him, Mekelburg allowed consecutive hits to Mike Hertling and Gallup to put runners on the corners with one out in the second. After a strikeout, Mike Connell and Justin D'Angelo singled in a run apiece, and that trimmed the Colts lead to one.

"I definitely made a few mistakes," Mekelburg said. "But I thought I had good stuff and I was working hard to execute my pitches."

Mekelburg would go on to retire the next seven to face him, and he was cruising heading into the fifth.

At the plate, the Colts kept on adding on. In fact, Calhoun scored in every inning except one on the day. Ryan Kass scored in the third on an RBI single by Jake Thomas.

"We saw what Oceanside was capable of in game one," Thomas said. "They came back from a big lead, so we needed to make sure we kept adding on."

Thomas struck in the fifth as well, as he crushed a fastball well beyond the right field fence, and he seemed to know what pitch was coming.

"I sat on a fastball," Thomas said. "Luckily for me, I got it, and I was able to drive it out."

Frank Trimarco added an RBI double in the fifth, and Ras doubled in a run as well, and the Colts opened up a 7-2 lead, but then Oceanside surged back. In the bottom half of the frame, Rosen committed a throwing error, and then Trimarco walked the number nine hitter to start thing off.

After a ground out scored a run, Mekelburg struck out Eric Mangel, and then Mekelburg made his biggest mistake. He walked the number three hitter to bring up a red-hot Hertling with two on, and Hertling made him pay with a two-run double.

"I got burned by trying to throw the perfect pitch," Mekelburg said.  "Fortunately, we were still able to come out on the right side."

Mekelburg got another run of insurance behind him when Dan Sullivan homered in the sixth. Joe Christopher capped the scoring in the seventh with a pinch hit sacrifice fly. Mekelburg battled through the sixth without allowing a run, and Joe Saladino finished things up in dominating fashion, as he struck out two of the three hitters he faced.

"We just wanted him to throw strikes," Calhoun coach Mike Marino said of Saladino.  "He looked very good, and we were very impressed."

Another bright spot for Calhoun was John Eyerman, who made three excellent plays in right field.

"He was out defensive player of the game," Marino said. "Defense like that wins you games."

The Colts have earned a place in the final four in the Class AA bracket.  Their opponent has not yet been determined, but game one of the semifinals will be Monday afternoon at Calhoun High School.