Mission Bay Pair Beats Centurions

Mission Bay defeated University City, 6-1, Wednesday afternoon in a City Western League baseball game, and there standing shoulder to shoulder afterward were the two Buccaneers most responsible.

Manny Castillo, who is listed at 5-foot-3 and 135 pounds, pitched a five-hitter, struck out nine and kept University City off balance throughout with an assortment of off-speed pitches and a fastball his coach said was his best all season.

Bobby Thomas, the biggest Buc at 6-3, 235, legged out a misplayed two-run triple to left field in the first inning and stroked another single to left to open the fourth.

As odd as the sight was--Castillo’s pants extend to his ankles because he can’t find a smaller pair and Thomas’ uniform is tight all over because he can’t find one bigger--the sounds were even stranger.

Each credited a personalized letter every Buc received in the morning for their inspiration in the afternoon game at University City.

The author: Dennis Pugh, Mission Bay’s coach.

“I came down pretty hard on them on Wednesday,” Pugh said, referring to his lashing following a 9-8 loss to La Jolla when the Vikings scored the winning run on a balk in the 12th inning. “(The letters) were partly an apology, and I was trying to pick them up.”

Asked if Pugh had ever done anything like this before, Thomas said, “Never. Not in the four years I’ve been here.”

Said Pugh, “I wrote a general thing before but nothing individual like this. It was therapy for me as well as the kids.

“I wasn’t sure if I should do it or not, but they surprised me. They responded really well to them.”

With the victory, 10th-ranked Mission Bay improved to 17-7, 7-3 and, though still trailing No. 9 University City (16-6, 8-3) by a half game, set itself up for a possible eighth league title in nine years. A loss would have eliminated the Buccaneers. USDHS (16-9, 7-3) also figures in the race, and La Jolla (12-10, 3-8) could give the league four playoff teams.

University City could have clinched at least a tie for its first ever title, but the Centurions were awful on their home field, making four errors and misplaying at least three other hits. Offensively, they managed only three infield singles, a grounder up the middle and a flare to right by Pat Cottrell that drove in Jay Parmenter in the third to make it a 3-1 game.

Mission Bay scored one in the sixth on a misplayed fly ball double by Marlon Gardinera and a triple by Jason Diaz, then got two more in the seventh on a walk, a sacrifice, another misplayed double and a dropped fly ball.

“That’s why we were 16-6,” Cottrell said, “good hitting, good pitching and good defense. Today was a different story. I mean, Jay (Parmenter) pitched good, but we didn’t hit and didn’t play good defense.”

A big reason University City didn’t hit was Castillo, who improved to 6-1. Pugh had told Castillo in his encouraging letter that he was going to pitch a great game, and he was going to win.

What did Pugh tell Thomas?

“On the back, it said I probably wouldn’t be starting,” Thomas said.