Wednesday, April 15, 1998 | 9:14 a.m.
Tuesday night's matchup between area baseball powerhouses Bishop Gorman and Durango was billed as the clash of the Sunset Division titans. But the game never came close to living up to those expectations.
Behind seven strong innings from starter Jason van Meetren and an offensive attack highlighted by three home runs, the visiting Gaels picked up a shockingly easy 11-0 victory in a game stopped after five innings by the 10-run rule.
Second-ranked Gorman improved to 15-4 overall, 5-1 in the Sunset and remained in sole possession of first place in the division.
The third-ranked Trailblazers (18-6, 3-2) suffered their fourth home loss since having their 38-game home winning streak snapped earlier this month.
"We have a brand new team this year, and they haven't stepped up and carried on our tradition of winning on this field," Durango coach Mike Gomez said. "I thought our kids played gutless, with no enthusiasm tonight."
The tone for the entire game was set in the bottom of the first inning, when Durango loaded the bases with one out, only to come up empty when van Meetren stuck out Jack Newark and John Dibetta.
After that, van Meetren (5-1) settled down, scattering four hits over his final six innings. He finished with seven strikeouts and walked only two batters.
While their ace mowed down the Trailblazer lineup, the Gaels flexed their muscles offensively. With two outs in the second inning, freshman Cooper Fouts ripped a single into left field to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Then, after a throwing error by Durango third baseman Matt McCurdy kept Gorman's third inning alive, Ryan Lee (2-for-2, two RBIs) and Dallas Pollaro (3-for-3, three RBIs) blasted two-run shots to give their club a 6-0 advantage.
Durango starter Scott Yahraus left the game after twisting his ankle in the fourth inning, and reliever James Teligades ran into trouble in the top of the fifth.
Seven consecutive Gaels reached base against the right-hander, culminating with sophomore Brandon Boesch, who connected for his first varsity home run -- a grand slam -- to give Gorman its 11-run lead.
"I was just trying to put the ball in play," Boesch said. "We didn't expect this to happen. They're our rival and we've always had close games with them."
* ELSEWHERE: Mike Nannini pitched a five-hit complete game to help No. 1 Green Valley to its 19th straight victory, a 9-1 win over host Eldorado. The Gators got home runs from Dan Krynzel and David Jensen.
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