Barsotti blast highlights victory

Mitchell Barsotti drove in the first two runs and the last two Friday, as the Maxwell High baseball team thumped visiting Bishop Quinn, 10-0, in the first round of the Northern Section Div. V playoffs.

The Panthers (26-3) are the top seed in the playoffs and are shooting for their fourth Section championship in five years. Last year they won the Div. VI title.

Friday’s win puts Maxwell into the semifinals Tuesday against either No. 4 Loyalton or No. 5 Burney.

“It was a good solid effort,” Maxwell coach Eric Lay said of Panthers’ win, noting they got good pitching and good defense.
And Barsotti’s bat.

In his first at-bat, Barsotti lined a 1-1 pitch down the left field line for a two-run home run and a 2-0 lead after one inning.

Brian Hamner, who got aboard on an infield base hit, was going on the pitch when Barsotti connected.

“I was just trying to get the ball to the outfield,” Barsotti said, figuring Hamner would be able to score.

The pitch was extremely inside — Barsotti said his hands were just about touching his stomach — when he turned on it.
“I thought it was just a single and then I saw the base umpire signaling home run,” Barsotti said.

Barsotti provided more excitement in his fourth at-bat. With the Panthers up, 8-0, and runners at second and third in the bottom of the fifth, Barsotti looped an 0-1 pitch to right field to score both runners and end the game thanks to the 10-run mercy rule.

“It was a total check-swing,” Barsotti of his game-winning hit.

The pitch was on the outside part of the plate and Barsotti was trying to hold up his swing.

“The ball was already past my shoulders so I just reached out and poked it,” he said.

In between those four runs, Barsotti’s teammates sparked the Panthers.

“John Davis scalded the ball,” Lay said of his second baseman, who went 3-for-3.

“John almost took out the third baseman twice,” Barsotti said of Davis’ hard-hit liners down the line.

Hamner doubled and singled as part of Maxwell’s 11-hit attack. Steven Perry doubled in two runs.

The Panthers upped their lead to 5-0 with three runs in the fourth. Andy Yang drove in one with an infield base hit and Hamner’s two-bagger down the left field line scored the other two.

Maxwell iced the game with a five-run fifth. Davis drove in one run with a base hit up the middle and Perry drove in two with his double to right field to set up Barsotti’s heroics.

Gustavo Rangel started on the mound for Maxwell and got the win. Rangel got ahead of virtually every batter with a strike on the first pitch, but then he mysteriously fell behind a lot in the count after that.

“That’s not like him,” Lay said. Still, Rangel was effective, allowing four hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out five.

Perry pitched the last inning.

“Anytime Steven comes in and we have the lead, I’m confident he can get the job done,” Lay said.
Perry struck out three batters and allowed an infield hit.