The Pilot News - Triton zaps No. 3 Blazers

After Marquette catcher Jack Bobillo’s first-inning leadoff home run, Houlihan slammed the door shut and pitched the Trojans to a 3-1 Class A South Central Baseball Sectional 51 semifinal upset victory over the No. 3 Blazers.
Junior center fielder Dustin Kreft provided all the offense Houlihan needed with a game-tying solo blast in the second and a two-run jack in the fifth.
Triton advances to Friday’s final round against the winner of today’s semifinal tilt between South Central and Oregon-Davis. Game time is 5:30 p.m. EDT both days.
“Brett pitched a great game,” Triton baseball head coach Ted Doty said. “His record was only 2-4 coming in, but that’s no example of the way he’s pitched. His ERA is like, 1.8. You wouldn’t believe some of the bad breaks we’ve had when he’s been pitching. Today some of the breaks went our way.”
Armed with well-located fastballs and knee-buckling curves, the sturdy sophomore southpaw scattered six hits, fanned eight and walked just one batter. He consistently worked ahead in the count against Marquette’s right-handed dominated lineup, and the Trojans backed him with an errorless defensive effort.
“Definitely fastball away,” Houlihan said of the most effective pitch in his arsenal. “They were looking to pull everything, so I kept the ball away and they were hitting weak fly balls.”
Following Bobillo’s home run, Houlihan struck out the side while working around Marc Torres’ two-out triple. The Triton lefty fanned the side again in the seventh. Although Sean Crepeau nubbed a one-out infield single, Houlihan recovered to get Drew Lemay looking and Bobillo swinging to end the game.
“Brett’s such a competitor,” Doty said. “Before he went out for the seventh inning I told him this was his game no matter what.”
Torres and reliever Eric Skwiat limited the Trojans to just five hits and fanned six batters apiece, but Triton made those hits count.
In fact, Triton immediately knotted up the game after falling behind. The right-handed slugging Kreft knocked a 2-1 delivery over the right field fence to open the second inning.
“(Kreft) has the most pop in our lineup,” Doty said. “It was good to see him go opposite field. He wants to pull everything, and we’ve talked to him about taking it (opposite field) once it gets to two strikes.”
Houlihan worked out of a major jam in the fourth, and swung the momentum clearly in Triton’s favor. Torres, who finished 3-for-3 with a triple and a pair of doubles, clubbed a leadoff two-base hit. Nico Bevitori then reached on a bunt single to put runners at first and second with nobody out.
With Triton’s infield playing at regular depth, Houlihan caught Cole Tribble watching an offspeed pitch for the first out. The Trojans then pulled the infield in and Steve Webber lifted a high pop fly on the infield that shortstop Brandon Anthony tracked and caught several steps on the first base side of second.
“Brandon catching that ball — that’s a huge out,” Houlihan said. “Their 1 through 5 hitters are really good. I knew I had to battle because they were dangerous.”
Houlihan struck out Crepeau looking at a 0-2 breaking ball to escape unharmed.
“That was huge; there’s just no other way to put it,” Doty said of Houlihan’s escape artistry. “We were conceding the run with nobody out. Then he got a strikeout and we brought the infield in. Brett just beared down and got the last two outs. I think that’s when the kids started to see that they could win this game. It gave them momentum.”
And it carried to Triton’s next at-bat. Anthony reached on a one-out windblown single to center. Kreft then fell into a 0-2 hole against Skwiat, fouled off one 0-2 pitch and popped the next over the right field fence for his second opposite field home run of the day, and his third homer of the sectional.
“It was a high fastball,” Kreft said of the go-ahead home run. “I was looking for an inside curveball to freeze me. I’m just hitting the ball right now.”
After Triton took the lead, Houlihan retired the Blazers in order with a pair of fly balls to Kreft in center and a routine grounder to Anthony at short.
“In the fifth inning I just kicked it in gear,” Houlihan said. “I knew (Marquette) had all the pressure on them. I think their coach told them to take the first pitch, or to take a strike. That’s huge to get ahead in the count. And since my fastball away was working, I could use my curveball. Since I’m a lefty, it moves in on a right-handed batter.”
Torres cranked a one-out double in the top of the sixth, but Houlihan induced harmless fly balls to right fielder Troy McIntyre and Kreft to end the frame.
Houlihan’s only walk came in the second when Webber drew a one-out, eight-pitch walk. Anthony then snagged a Crepeau pop for the second out. Webber strayed far enough from first to draw a throw that sailed over first baseman Zac Moriarty’s head. Webber tried to advance to second, but Triton catcher AJ Fleagle, alertly backing up the play, cut down Webber at second.
“Our defense played great,” Doty said. “Brett got a lot of fly balls. That’s good because it’s easier to catch a fly ball than it is to field and throw a grounder.”
• TRITON 3,
MARQUETTE 1
Class A Sectional 51
At Union Mills
Triton: 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 — 3 5 0
Marquette: 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 6 2
Brett Houlihan (W, 3-1) and AJ Fleagle; Marc Torres, Eric Skwiat (L) and Jack Bobillo.
2B: Torres 2 (M), Drew Lemay (M).
3B: Torres (M).
HR: Bobillo (M), Dustin Kreft 2 (T).
Records: Triton 12-15, Marquette 24-6.