Prep baseball: Redwood shuts out Tam in Solle’s return
Redwood ace Rex Solle made his return from injury a triumphant one, allowing two hits, no runs and striking out seven in an abbreviated five-inning start as the first-place Giants kept to task with a 5-0 victory against visiting Tam.
MCAL baseball front-runner Redwood High has looked pretty good all season.
The Giants (17-2, 13-1) looked even better on Friday.
Redwood ace Rex Solle made his return from injury a triumphant one, allowing two hits, no runs and striking out seven in an abbreviated five-inning start as the first-place Giants kept to task with a 5-0 victory against visiting Tam.
“I’m 100% better now,” said Solle, who missed nearly a month with a strained hamstring muscle. “It’s great to be back. Before the injury I never knew I would miss it that much.”
The Giants, who swept the home and away series after disposing of the Red-tailed Hawks 9-2 on Tuesday in Mill Valley, did not appear to miss a beat with Solle out of the lineup. They won all three MCAL outings without him.
But Redwood coach Mike Firenzi said he noticed a difference in his club even in pregame warmups.
“The kids did a great job when Rex was out,” Firenzi said. “But when a pitcher of his magnitude returns everybody shows up with a bit more jump in their step just knowing he’s out there.”
After Solle fanned two of the first three hitters he faced in a three-up, three-down first, Redwood wasted no time providing him an early lead.
Matthew Knauer, admirably filling in for regular leadoff batter Sam Gersch (he’s now out with a hamstring injury), poked a single to right field to open the bottom of the first.
With one out, Redwood spark plug Theo Trono drew a nine-pitch walk, and Solle loaded the bases on another free pass issued by Tam starter Hank Ballard, who pitched only one inning.
Jack Moseley stepped up and cracked a hard bouncer into left field for a two-run single.
“You hope before the game starts when you’re making your lineup that the four and five hitters get a chance to come up with runners in scoring position,” Firenzi said. “It worked out right today. That was a big base hit by Moseley and really changed the game early.”
With two outs in the first, Gavin Soper knocked in another run when he stung a single up the middle.
Three runs was more than enough for Solle, who faced only one batter over the minimum for his five innings of work and did not allow a runner beyond second base.
Solle said he had good command on all three of his pitches – the fastball, the curve and the change-up.
“I used a lot of change-ups today,” Solle said. “But all my pitches felt pretty good.”
The Giants added two insurance runs in the fifth.
Soper started the rally with his third single of the game and catcher Ethan Ferry was hit by a pitch. Chase Johnson deadened a perfect bunt in front of the plate and the Tam catcher’s hurried throw to first base sailed down the right-field line enabling two more runs to score.
The Red-tailed Hawks (11-8, 8-4), however, remain in the thick of the hunt for a playoff berth in a tie for third as the season winds down to its final two weeks. Tam is one of three four-loss teams along with Marin Catholic (8-4) and San Marin (7-4).
“Redwood is a good team,” Tam coach Nathan Bernstein said. “And when Rex has all three of his pitches going, he’s tough to beat. But we got swept by Redwood last year and won it all. In MCAL baseball the key is to get in the playoffs and then get hot.”