PREP BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Servite Rallies to Win Again

It’s still early in the baseball season, but Servite already is showing a tendency that could make it dangerous by playoff time.

Twice in the last five days Servite has rallied late to win. Last Friday the Friars came up with four runs in the seventh to beat Ocean View. On Wednesday, Servite beat Westminster, 4-3, in nine innings. The Friars (4-3, 2-0) sent the Golden West League game into extra innings by getting two runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Servite right-hander Brian Greene went the distance to win for the third time in four decisions. He gave up seven hits, striking out six and walking none. Greene, who gave up three runs on four consecutive hits, looked as strong in the ninth as he did in the first despite throwing 121 pitches.

“Even with that amount of pitches (Greene is) the kind of guy you want out there with the game on the line,” Servite Coach Tom Tereschuk said. “He’s very strong. But we’ll make sure he gets plenty of rest.”

Greene, who also had two hits and drove in a run, even had a hand in Servite’s final rally. With two runners on and one out, Greene slapped a grounder to short. Rick Saunders tossed the ball to Brian Rinkousky at second, but the relay to first skipped past Kent Montgomery.

Rocky Berlanga scored from second base without a drawing a throw.

Losing a two-run lead in the seventh wasn’t the only irritant to Westminster Coach Jim Doyle. His three pitchers--starter Keith Bigelow, Maurico Beruman and Danny Sanchez, who was the loser--walked 10 and gave up seven hits.

“Before this game we had just given up six walks total in the past 42 innings,” Doyle said. “But you also have to credit Servite. They came back.”