BASEBALL: Bruml's Five-Inning No-Hitter Leads Menlo
Right-hander follows Avis' masterpiece with his own in 10-0 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral; defending champion Knights to face Carmel in Central Coast Section Division III semifinals.
When Menlo School pitching standout Jake Bruml has his fastball going, opposing batters have a hard time keeping up.
When he commands his nasty off-speed stuff, it’s tough to time the Pomona-bound right-hander.
When both are working, Bruml can be just about unhittable.
Such was the case on Saturday, when Bruml threw a five-inning no-hitter to lead the Knights to a 10-0 victory over Sacred Heart Cathedral in a Central Coast Section Division III quarterfinal at Washington Park in Santa Clara.
Third-seeded Menlo (24-5) will play No. 2 seed Carmel (26-3) in a semifinal on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at San Jose Municipal Stadium. Menlo beat the Padres 15-6 in a tournament game on March 3.
Carmel defeated Sacred Heart Prep 8-5 in a later quarterfinal on Saturday.
Saturday’s Menlo-SHC game was a rematch of last year’s Division III semifinal, which the Knights won on the way to a CCS title.
Menlo extended its winning streak to six games as it won for the 10th time in 11 games.
Bruml (8-2) struck out nine and allowed no walks and one hit batsmen.
“He was just lights-out today,” Menlo coach Craig Schoof said.
“He was pounding the zone with his fastball and his off-speed stuff was working well. His splitter and his changeup had them on their front foot, and he throws a good fastball, 82 to 85 (mph), and that just makes him that much more effective.”
Bruml's gem came on the heels of Freddy Avis' 17-strikeout shutout against Scotts Valley in a 6-0 opening-round win on Wednesday.
Phillip Anderson had two hits and three RBIs to lead the Knights offensively, and Dylan Mayer had two hits and drove in two runs.
Anderson’s two-run bases-loaded single with no outs in the second broke open a 2-0 game. Mayer’s two-run single later in the inning made it 6-0.
Anderson’s RBI single in the fifth triggered the 10-run mercy rule, meaning two less innings of wear and tear and two more innings of pitching eligibility for the Knights’ valuable arm.
Schoof said Bruml’s performance was no surprise, but noted that his intensity was especially impressive after the game’s outcome was no longer in question.
“He kept his focus and his composure and that’s not easy to do when you get ahead early,” Schoof said.
_____________________________________________________
Menlo 10, Sacred Heart Cathedral 0 (5 innings)
SHC -- 000 00 – 0 0 1
Menlo -- 243 01-- 10 9 1
WP: Bruml (8-2). LP: Miguel.
2B: Batchelder, Marcus (M). 2 hits: Batchelder, Anderson (M). 3 RBI: Anderson, Mayer (M).
Records: Menlo 24-5. SHC 18-12.