Green Valley savors state baseball title

Spencer Patterson

Monday, May 21, 2001 | 10:51 a.m.

Nick Garritano never thought replacing Nevada high school baseball coaching legend Rodger Fairless would be easy.

He didn't know exactly how difficult it would be, however, until his Green Valley Gators went 0-3 to start the 1999 season.

"I'll never forget, we started 0-3 and it seemed like the next three days were three years," Garritano said. "It was tough. I was 25 years old, and it was like a no-win situation. When people are doubting you and second-guessing you, it's tough."

Three years later, absolutely no one is doubting Garritano. Though he still has a long way to go to match Fairless' streak of six straight state titles from 1993-98, Garritano proved he could take the Gators back to the top, coaching them to the 2001 4A state champion Saturday at CCSN's Lied Field.

"Going through that whole (first) year, all I heard were comparisons. Now to win it, and with all my own kids, it's like a story," Garritano said.

Green Valley made that story all the more interesting by taking the long way to the title, playing six games in three days. A loss to Durango Thursday night put them on the brink of elimination, but four straight victories in must-win contests -- including a 6-2 triumph over Galena in Saturday's finale -- completed a remarkable comeback.

"This is a million times better than the first time," said senior outfielder Garrett Guzman, the last holdover from the Fairless-coached 1998 title team. "The first time we only had to win three games. This time we came back in the loser's bracket -- lost the first day, played three doubleheaders in a row and came back to win it.

"We played the most possible games my senior year and won it. That's the thing I'm most happy about," Guzman added.

The Gator bats, somewhat quiet through the tournament's first 11 innings, woke up with a vengeance in the loss to the Trailblazers, producing nine late runs to turn a 12-0 thrashing into an emotional lift for the rest of the weekend.

"We lost the game, but we almost came back. showed a lot of emotion and heart right there and that started everything," senior shortstop Zeke Parraz said. "Even though we lost, it was a positive."

With Guzman (14-for-19, four home runs, 11 RBIs) and Parraz (12-for-20, three home runs, 11 RBIs) leading the attack, the Gators exploded for 37 runs in wins over Durango and Reno to earn the right to play on Saturday.

Then, to nearly everyone's surprise, the Green Valley pitching staff -- seemingly sapped from the tournament's grueling format -- took center stage, holding two opponents to a combined two runs.

Senior Adam Morris, pitching on just one day's rest after throwing more than 100 pitches Thursday, shut out Durango in game one. Before he reached his inning limit for the tourney, his teammates came through with 10 runs to end the contest after five innings.

"I felt good, really loose," Morris said. "I was in a zone today, and it's a lot easier to pitch when you have run support."

In the championship, the Gators faced a rested Galena squad coming off three impressive victories over Foothill, Basic and Bishop Gorman. Green Valley scored five runs in the third to take control, and sophomore left-hander Ryan Tabor and seniors Gabe Gordon and Jake Dittler held a dangerous Grizzlies lineup to two runs on four hits.

Gordon, an unsung hero throughout the tournament, pitched in five of his team's six games, earning a win and a save and striking out nine batters in 10 2/3 innings.

"We have the most heart of any team I've played on," said Dittler, who returned from an elbow injury to make two appearances. "The seniors didn't want to leave without a championship."

Though their backs were against the wall all weekend, the Gators' faces were rarely without smiles in the dugout -- a clear reflection of Garritano's coaching style, one he's quick to admit is much different than his predecessor's.

"Rodger Fairless is more of a coach's coach, and I'm more of a player's coach," Garritano said. "Neither way is bad, and you can be successful either way.

"We preached to these kids to have fun out there. Our kids work hard, but we have fun and play with a lot of emotion."

That emotion poured out on Saturday, not only from Gator players who piled on Dittler after the game's final out, but also from Garritano.

"I love you all," he shouted toward parents and fans in attendance.

His rocky start now but a distant memory, it's safe to say the feeling is mutual.