Wolfe Is Bad News for Hitters

It’s going to be tough to knock Servite out of the county’s top spot as long as Brian Wolfe stays healthy.

Wednesday, the senior right-hander gave another demonstration of why he is one of the county’s top pitchers, throwing a four-hit, 14-strikeout complete game in a 2-1 Golden West League victory over visiting Ocean View.

Wolfe (4-0), who led the county in strikeouts in 1998 with 139, has picked up where he left off last season. Wednesday, he struck out the side three times, fanned seven of the first nine batters he faced, and ended the game by striking out Ocean View first baseman Brian Nedry for the third time.

Wolfe also struck out third baseman Marcus Ouni three times, each time on a called third strike.

His only mistake was in the sixth, when outfielder Dana Bryan drove a 2-2 slider over the center-field fence. His only other problems came in the fifth when Anthony Vega singled and Adam Vencius doubled to put runners on second and third with one out. But Wolfe escaped by striking out Nedry and Jeremy Nicholson.

“I had both the slider and curve working today with the fastball,” said Wolfe, who wore out the outside corner of the plate. “When I have both of them going, I can be tough.”

It was a good thing that Wolfe, who had struck out seven after three innings and did not give up a hit until the fifth, did not need much support.

The Friars (6-1, 2-0), who managed only six hits off Ocean View sophomore left-hander Tyler Kreil (0-2) and reliever Mike Harris, did not do much against the defending Division IV section champions.

Brian Goldsmith hit a homer in the first inning and Mike Irwin scored an unearned run in the fourth, thanks to a two-out error by Nicholson on Matt Gogan’s grounder to second. But that was it.

Servite stranded eight runners, lost a potential run in third when Kreil caught Ben Francisco’s line drive and turned it into a double play and could not break the game open when Ryan Garko left the bases loaded by grounding out to end the fourth.

“Ocean View might have [graduated] six starters, but that’s still a good team over there and a quality program,” Servite Coach Todd Cook said. “We hit a few hard balls, but they were able to hang in there. Thank goodness Brian pitched fantastic today.”

Ocean View Coach Steve Barrett was both excited and disappointed by his team’s effort, considering how close the Seahawks (4-3, 1-1) came to upsetting the Friars.

“It’s always tougher to lose the one-run games,” Barrett said, “but the kids are playing well right now. On paper, Servite is better than we are, but we were able to stay with them.

“Mistakes made the difference today, but the good teams don’t make them.”