“Survive and advance.”
While that is a motto carried by many teams, it certainly seems apt for Glenelg Gladiators baseball team. Fresh off a hard-fought victory over county rival Centennial in the regional final, the group picked up their bats and balls and went back to work Friday night at the Coliseum. Their effort paid off with a 6-1 victory over Hereford Bulls in the Class 2A state quarterfinals.
“Survive and advance,” Glenelg coach Steve Tiffany said. “That’s always been our motto. Let’s figure out a way to win and get our team to that next practice and to that next round.”
Their effort was led by a dominant work from the heart of their order: Nick Billoto, Luke Pushbeck and Michael Tolle. Combined, the three hitters would go 7-for-12 with five RBIs and five runs scored. Leadoff hitter Danny Dorsey earned a critical walk and run while Zach LaFountain, batting fifth, rounded out the fearsome five, going 2-for-3 with a walk.
“We tweaked the little things to put those five guys in a row,” Tiffany said. “We saw a really good arm Tuesday night in Zach Harris from Centennial who has a similar pitching style to [Hereford starting pitcher Jack] Kinsey. So our kids were prepared, we attacked his fastball and I thought we really barreled some balls up today.”
On the mound, LaFountain continued his dominant run of form this season, throwing an array of fastballs and off-speed pitches to keep the Bulls hitters off-balance. The Salisbury commit pitched six innings of hitless ball while giving up a run and four walks with six strikeouts. His standout season comes just one year after missing an entire season due to sustaining a lacerated spleen.
“He’ll admit to you, he wasn’t very good at the beginning of the season,” Tiffany said. “But he has put in so much work this season. Every time he takes the mound I know we have a chance and today he shined on the biggest stage.”
The Gladiators move onto the 2A state semifinals where they will face an opponent at a date and time to be determined.
Playing in front of a raucous crowd at the Coliseum, the Gladiators set the scoring tone early. In the bottom of the first inning, Billoto hammered double to deep center giving the Gladiators their first base runner. Logan Pushbeck would not waste the opportunity, lining a single to center to give Glenelg the early 1-0 lead. They would add a second run later in the inning with Blake Bourne hitting a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Pushbeck.
Glenelg expanded its lead to three the very next inning with Billoto singling in Danny Dorsey. Their offensive explosion continued into the third with Michael Tolle hitting a home run to deep center field pushing the score to 4-0.
Pushbeck added a solo shot of his own in the fourth, launching a fastball into left field making it 5-0. Their final run came in the sixth with Billoto scoring off of a fielder’s choice hit by Pushbeck.
LaFountain and the Gladiators’ defense faced their biggest trouble in the later innings. In the fifth, Leighton Alsip reached base on an error and advanced to third after a stolen base and a ground out. Hereford would get runners on the corners after LiamKopajtic walked. However, they were unable to capitalize as LaFountain struck out Peyton Whittle to end the inning.
The Bulls finally got on the board in the sixth after loading the bases on one out. Alsip would reach first on a throwing error from shortstop Bourne, scoring Kinsey.
Hereford — 000 001 0 — 1
Glenelg — 211 101 X — 6
WP: LaFountain. LP: Kinsey
2B: Billoto, Pushbeck, LaFountain. HR: Tolle, Pushbeck
