BASEBALL: Monte Vista Christian Tops Christopher

The Score: Monte Vista Christian 8, Christopher 4

The Star: Shortstop Andy Muller went 4-for-5 at the plate, including a hard hit double. If something good was happening with the Mustangs, it seemed that Muller was always a part of it. Whether it was a timely hit or a play in the infield, Muller’s four-hit showing spring boarded his team to a 8-4 victory over Christopher High in a Monterey Bay League matchup Monday afternoon at in Gilroy.

Christopher’s Nate Davis went 2-for-4 at the plate, showing solid plate discipline throughout the contest. The consistency enabled him to put runners in scoring position and keep his club in the ball game.

The Turning Point: The turning point for Monte Vista Christian (10-6; 9-2 MBL) came in the third inning. Despite a 3-0 MVC lead, coach Don Keathley was a little concerned that his team started the game a little slower than usual. In the top of the third inning, those thoughts changed in a hurry. A triple by Zander Fischer-tellez scored Charlie Streig and a base hit by Andy Muller scored Streig. The Mustangs added two more runs and blew the game wide open as they led 7-0 after the frame.

Down seven runs, Christopher (4-12; 3-6 MBL) didn’t hold back its aggression at the plate. A base hit by Brandon Irby in the fourth inning and then another by Nate Davis put the Cougars in scoring position. The first RBI for Christopher came off the bat of Nader Elaskary as his base hit scored Irby. Davis later came around to score the Cougars second run of the inning.

The Quote: Going into this game Monte Vista Christian’s coach Don Keathley was a concerned about Christopher because of the unknown.

“It was just one of those days. They are a brand new school that we have never seen these guys before. We knew they would be coached well,” Coach Keathley said.

MVC shortstop Austyn Tokar was pleased with the win, but knows that some areas could still get cleaned up.

“Well, we played well but we played long too,” Tokar said. “We made our starter (Austyn Tokar) throw more than we wanted too.

Christopher continued to grow in defeat, giving another MBL top tier team all they could handle and then some.

“We are improving we are coming together as a team.” Christopher’s third baseman Nathan Davis said. “I just want to get the ball in play so we can make things happen.”

What's Next? These two teams will see each other again on Wednesday, April 13th at Monte Vista Christian at 4 p.m. It is a teacher appreciation game so come out and support your local teacher on their day.

Bottom Line: Monte Vista Christian continues to roll in league play. With Monterey 12-0 and sitting pretty in first place, MVC can only just keep winning and wait for next month’s showdown on May 4th.

Christopher just needs to continue the way they are playing and the learning will come naturally. Coach Dequin is letting his team play and they seem to be right in the thick of it. Christopher finishes up a brutal stretch of league play on Wednesday. The game will conclude a four-game stretch against the top two squads in league.

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Monte Vista Christian-1 2 4 0 1 0 0 -8

Christopher- 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 -4

Winning pitcher-Austyn Tokar

Losing pitcher-Nick Cordova

Monte Vista Christian Stats

Andy Muller 4-for-5 w/double

Sam Thorne 2-for-4

Charlie Streig 2-for-4 w/double

Zander Fischer-Tellez 1-2 w/triple

Austyn Tokar 5 innings 4 hits, 3 runs

Ryan Oxsen 2 innings 2 walks, 1 run

Christopher Stats

Patrick Valdez 2-for-4

Nate Davis 2-for-4

Kevin Willard 2-for-4 w/walk and a double