Gillette spells relief for Sterling

Philip Marruffo/Gazette Sterling's Sean Gillette throws a pitch Wednesday against Morrison.

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MORRISON - Sterling relief pitcher Sean Gillette possesses a fastball and a "curveball that just kind of hangs a little bit," he said. During Wednesday's game at Morrison, Gillette's limited repertoire was at the height of its powers. He tossed four innings of no-run, one-hit relief as the Golden Warriors rallied for a 6-3 victory against the Mustangs. Before Wednesday, Gillette (1-0) had taken the mound in just one game, against Freeport this past Saturday. He's hoping for more action. "Good games like this helps coaches decide which pitchers should pitch," said Gillette, who struck out six batters and didn't walk any while earning the win. "Today, he was flat-out phenomenal," Sterling coach Darwin Nettleton said. "This is the second time we've used him, and in eight innings he's given up one run and three hits. He's done a nice job of getting ahead of the hitters. One of the things we preach is to throw strikes and make our defense do some work. I'm really happy for Sean." Morrison (9-4) took a 3-1 lead after three innings, following a two-run single from Ethan Goodenough and an error by Sterling second baseman Michael Trobaugh that allowed another run to score. Gillette shut down the Mustangs the rest of the way. Sterling (7-5) scored a total of five runs in the fourth and fifth innings, with key hits from Justin Cutter (2-run single), Gillette (RBI single) and Ian Mills (RBI single). Morrison helped fuel the rally by committing four errors during that stretch. There also was a hit batsman, a catcher's interference call and an errant pickoff throw to first. "Those things come back to haunt you," Morrison coach Scott Vance said. "Sterling is an aggressive team. They swing the bats well, they get guys on base, they make things happen and we just didn't respond to it." Matt Vegter (0-1) took the loss. He allowed three runs on two hits and a hit batsman in 1 1/3 innings of relief. Three of Morrison's five errors came while he was on the mound. Broc Christiansen started and gave up three runs on six hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings.