Hart Puts Arroyo Grande in Deep Freeze

It was lifeboat time for Arroyo Grande High. You know, women and children first.

The Eagles struck an iceberg of sorts in the 95-degree heat of Newhall. The cold, immovable force that sunk Arroyo Grande was Hart, the top-seeded team in the Southern Section 4-A Division playoffs. The Indians lent plenty of credibility to that ranking with a brutal 18-3 win Friday in a first-round game at Hart.

Playoff game? This was more like a layoff game as the Eagles were handed their walking papers behind a 14-hit Hart attack and the five-inning, one-hit pitching of junior right-hander Jason Edwards (11-0). Edwards left the game early to sit back and enjoy the pyrotechnics provided by the Hart bats.

And by the end of the day, the Hart statistics sheet was overflowing with numbers. Big numbers. Lots of numbers. For example:

The Indians sent 13 men to the plate in a nine-run sixth inning.

Shortstop Robby Davis wound up with four runs batted in, two hits and two runs scored.

First baseman Ray Gardocki collected two hits, drove in a run, and scored four runs.

Outfielder Joe DeSchryver went 2 for 2 with one RBI and one run scored.

And outfielder Jeff Harms went 2 for 3 with two RBIs.

And they did it all without starting outfielder Chris Vasquez, who missed the game because of illness.

The win was Hart’s 26th without a loss, tying a single-season Southern Section record set by Notre Dame in 1984. Lompoc (1970-71) and Rio Mesa (1980-81) hold the all-time record with 36 each. Had enough?

By the end of the game, Arroyo Grande sure had.

“They’re a good, good ballclub,” Eagle Coach Randy Spoeneman said. “They tattooed the fence out in right-center field. They sure can hit.”

But with his praise, Spoeneman took time to whisper a warning.

“To be honest, though, I’m not sure if they’re as good as their 25-0 record,” he said.

If that’s the case, Hart Coach Bud Murray could be wondering what it takes to impress his opponents. But he isn’t. In fact, he’s not even worried about his opponents.

“I don’t give a hell who we play,” said Murray, whose team will nonetheless play Fullerton--a 1-0 winner over Leuzinger--Tuesday at a site to be determined. “Whoever we play, we’ll play them hard.”

Every player on the Hart roster was able to enjoy some splendor in the grass, as Murray made substitution after substitution. Still, the game careened out of control as Hart scored two runs in the second, three in the third, and four in the fifth before the sixth-inning circus.

The game was partial revenge for the Hart football team, which was upset by Arroyo Grande, 15-14, in the semifinals of the Northwestern Conference playoffs last fall.

A special moment did come out of the madness, though, when senior Jerry Ford, who suffers from cerebral palsy, walked with the bases loaded in the sixth to record his first RBI of the season.