Rojas allows two hits in shutout win vs. Warriors
Senior Steven Rojas (3-3) struck out eight in a complete-game shutout for Gaither.
By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor
Click here for our photo gallery from this game.
LUTZ – Gaither’s Steven Rojas efficiently cut through Steinbrenner’s offense on Thursday, needing just 76 pitches to put away the Warriors in a 3-0 victory.
Of those 76 pitches, 52 were strikes as the senior righty struck out eight, issued one walk and gave up just two singles. Rojas (3-3) gave up a first-inning single to Jorge Romero, but Gaither (13-5) catcher Ryder Warriner erased him trying to steal second to end the opening frame.
Gaither senior second baseman Miguel Pina drops down a tag to catch a stealing Jorge Romero in the first inning. Pina had an RBI single for the Cowboys in the third.
The pitcher would retire the side the next three innings, before hitting the first batter of the fifth. He’d find mild trouble again in the sixth as Cayden Hessemyer lined the Warriors second single into left and Romero drew a walk, but four outs later and Rojas wrapped things up for Gaither’s eighth-straight win.
“The offense, defense – everything is just clicking for this team,” Rojas said. “In that moment (the sixth inning), I had to just take a deep breath and let myself know I’m one pitch away, and that my defense is right there to get us out of it.”
Steinbrenner second baseman Jorge Romero takes in a throw before tagging out a sliding Josh Choe in the third inning. Romero had a single and walked in the game.
Sophomore righty Austin Liss drew the assignment on the hill for Steinbrenner (9-8), and allowed a three-run third by the Cowboys. But otherwise, Liss pitched very well against a potent lineup, going 6 2/3 innings and striking out six.
The third inning started with a line drive single by Josh Choe into left, but Warriors catcher JW Stephens quickly corrected that with his seventh caught stealing of the season. But instead of squashing the Cowboys offense, Gaither ripped off three more hits and plated as many runs. Jackson Mirza (2-for-3) sent a one-out single into right and stole second. MIrza would score the deciding run on a flyball, two-run double to the wall in center by Nico Lopez – upping his team leading RBI total to 19.
Miguel Pina lined a single to right two pitches later to drive in Lopez for the final run.
Gaither junior Nico Lopez connects on his two-run double, giving the Cowboys all the runs needed for a victory at Steinbrenner.
“Sometimes balls just fall and it’s tough,” Liss said. “You’ve just got to make better pitches, my fastball wasn’t really fastballin’ today, I guess you could say.”
Scout Simpson, who scored the second run on Lopez’s double, would add a sixth inning single for the Cowboys.
Cowboys senior Scout Simpson puts his hand on the plate before Steinbrenner C JW Stephens can get tag applied.
But Liss didn’t allow another run through the next 3 2/3 innings of work. Showing about the only signs of life from the Warriors, Liss returned to the dugout after his 1-2-3 sixth inning, telling coaches he wanted to go back out to finish things out. After the game, Liss said he was hopeful his team would pull-off a late-inning comeback as it had against Plant and Robinson earlier in the season.
“I thought we’d come back, I really did,” Liss said. “We’ve done it before like against Plant and other teams, we always call the sixth inning, ‘our inning,’ because we always seem to do our damage there. But it just didn’t happen.”
Steinbrenner sophomore Austin Liss worked 6 2/3 innings, striking out six.
Liss gave up a two-out single to Mirza, before coming out of the game and seeing reliever Kelton Meares get out of the inning with a groundball.
Rojas commended his counterpart for being able to refocus after the three-run inning, saying: “I like the way he faced adversity. I liked the way he stayed within himself and worked hard the entire game.”
Next up: Steinbrenner will travel to Jefferson on Tuesday; while Gaither visits Wharton next Thursday.
#7 Gaither 3, Steinbrenner 0
G 003|000|0 – |3|7|0
S 000|000|0 – |0|2|0
W – Rojas (3-3); L – Liss (3-3)
2B – Lopez (G). Records – G (13-5); S (8-8).
