Cagey decision ignites Rancho in Legion opener

Rancho baseball coach Tom Pletsch took his players to the batting cages Saturday morning, hoping they might respond by scoring a few extra runs in their game later in the day.

The plan worked far beyond the coach’s expectations, as the fifth-seeded Rams used a 16-hit attack to post a 16-5 eight-inning victory over No. 4 Green Valley in the opening round of the American Legion state tournament at Wilson Field.

“We had a little bit of a break,” said Pletsch, whose team had five days off following the regular season. “We had a chance to rest up and get a lot of hitting in. The results obviously showed on the field today.”

Indeed, six Rancho players finished with multiple hits, led by Pletsch’s son Brandon Pletsch, who went 3-for-6 with a double and a triple.

“Hitting is pretty much what helped us win this game,” said the younger Pletsch, who noted the Rams did not hit well in splitting two games against Green Valley during the regular season. “We knew our pitching was going to be on because (starter Eric) Holdren is always on.”

Though Holdren (9-1) had a strong night, the Gators (17-13) struck first by making the most of a Dominic McGovern single, a walk and three wild pitches to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

But that advantage didn’t last long. The Rams answered with five runs on six hits in the second, capping the rally with a two-run double by Roy Sipes.

Rancho (20-17) chased Green Valley starter Jake DiDonato an inning later after Kevin Kline drove in a run with a double off the left-field wall to extend the lead to 6-3. The Rams scored three more in the inning to make it 9-3.

Holdren, who gave up another run on an RBI double by David Day in the second, settled down to hold the Gators scoreless in the next five innings.

The Rams put any doubt to rest when Justin Pankratz drove in three runs with a one-out double to highlight a five-run eighth that gave them a 16-3 lead.

Green Valley scored twice in the bottom of the inning, and Rancho reliever Josh Gomez took the mound to record the final out.

Scott Koenen went 3-for-5 to help the Rams, and Zak Qualls went 2-for-5 with three RBIs.

Tyler Blair went 2-for-4 with a double to lead the Gators.

In Saturday’s late game, defending state champion Bishop Gorman defeated Arbor View, 19-10.