Jul 27, 2008

Zhang fans 13 in 3-run region win

Gibson's 2-run HR helps Los Altos-Mountain View

By Greg Lydon / Daily News Correspondent

Kevin Zhang pitched Los Altos-Mountain View to a 5-2 victory over South San Francisco on a hot Saturday afternoon in the 13-and-14-year-old Pony All-Stars regional tournament.

Zhang used a well-disguised change-up to slow hitters early, then turned to a filthy knuckle-curve to close the door at Rosita Park in Los Altos. He went the distance in a game that lasted just under two hours. The right-hander struck out 13 in seven innings of duty.

"I went to the knuckle-curve late in the game," Zhang said. "It has action like a slider. My change-up was working well early. It's good to see the batters go down like that."

Zhang, who is heading into his sophomore year at St. Francis High in Mountain View, credits the experience gained on the Lancers' freshman for helping his pitching this summer.

"I have a lot of experience, I just try to stay calm and use it to my advantage," Zhang said. "There's a lot of situations you face in high school. Me and my catcher just kept mixing up the pitches and locations today."

Los Altos-Mountain View put two runs on the board in the first inning starting with a zinging Cory Smith RBI single to left to make the score 1-0.

A Blake Jarvis single followed to load the bases with two outs, putting South San Francisco starting pitcher Brad Los in a bind.

Los got the ground ball he needed, but the slow roller off the bat of Shuyo Chang couldn't be flipped in time to get the force at second base and one Los Altos runner scored. A second runner was gunned down at the plate.

While Zhang racked up five strikeouts through the first three innings, Los Altos added to its lead in the fourth.

Chang drove in his second run of the day with a single to right field. The hot shot rolled under the glove of the outfielder, allowing Jarvis to score.

More production from the back of the order came in the next at-bat as Gibson pummeled a pitch to right field for a two-run home run and a 5-0 lead.

"That was big for Robert," Los Altos-Mountain View coach David O'Such said. "He had been struggling at the plate. We needed those extra runs."

Joe Marcucci entered the game for South San Francisco in the fifth inning and quickly made his mark, using a curveball to strike out two of the three batters he faced.

The strikeout battle forged on for the latter portion of the game. Marcucci rang up six hitters in three innings of perfect relief, while Zhang sat down 13 hitters, nine swinging.

"Kevin came well-prepared today," O'Such said. "He stayed ahead of hitters all game long and used that curveball to get his strikeouts."

South San Francisco broke through in the sixth inning with an RBI bloop single by Greg Bildhauer to make it 5-1.

Zhang went back to the curveball to get an inning-ending strikeout with the bases loaded in the sixth inning.

Justin Ecklavea drilled an RBI single to left to slice the Los Altos lead to 5-2.

O'Such decided to intentionally walk clean-up hitter Chris Miguel to load the bases with no outs.

"It was the coaches' call. We wanted the force play at any base," Zhang said. "I talked to my catcher and just told him to keep mixing up the calls and look for the easiest out if the ball was on the ground."

Zhang didn't have to worry about anything on the ground. He got back-to-back strikeouts, then a fly ball to left to end the game.

Los Altos will play today at noon in the third round. South San Francisco will play an elimination game today as well.