After an excellent regular season, the Mt. Pleasant Cardinals, led by senior pitchers David Santellano and Erik Barron, opened the first round of the CCS Division II playoffs with an outstanding performance, defeating Overfelt on their home field, 8-0 on Thursday. Santellano, the winning pitcher, finished with 10 strikeous and allowed just one hit, while Barron closed the game with three strikeouts.
Overfelt starter Jeider Rincon allowed four runs in the second inning with RBIs by Santellano, Omar Gonzales, and Darrian Alvarez. Santellano was also outstanding both at the plate and on the mound, leading the team with 2 RBIs and throwing 15 first-pitch strikes. He showed great composure on the mound, mixing in a changeup curveball and attacking the zone with his fastball.
“I actually came out early,” Santellano said of his work ethic and preparation. “I was preparing to be focused the whole game. I got in my work with my flat ground.”
Rincon matched Santellano early, striking out the side in the first, but that hot start didn't last. He finished with just the three strikeouts and was relieved of his pitching duties in the bottom of the third by Adam Romayor, who was in turn relieved by Leo Saldivar.
“It was key hitting especially by Gabe Katich (2-for-2),” Mt. Pleasant head coach Leo Newton said. “We also prepared for the lefty (Rincon). My team has been playing together for a while. They like the atmosphere and the competition.”
And Newton’s team reiterated that statement with exceptional play. While Overfelt’s pitching rotation got more flustered, Santellano was dominant over six innings. His potential no-hitter was broken up by Saldivar in the 6th inning. The Cardinals finished with nine hits to the Royals’ one.
The Cardinals (21-0 in the BVAL-Santa Teresa Division regular season), who are led by seven seniors, now look for their 23rd straight win as they face the Saratoga Falcons (20-12 overall) in the CCS Division II quarterfinals on Saturday at 4 pm.
When asked about a change of mentality now that CCS is here, Newton said, “I told the kids to play like we’ve been playing all year. Nothing has changed. These guys don’t fear anyone.”
“We knew we could come back from all those games we trailed," added Santellano. "We capitalized on errors with good baserunning, so we should continue to do so.”
