Gorman revival goes on

Bishop Gorman's baseball team entered its Southwest League showdown at Sierra Vista on Saturday with a chance to take sole possession of first place in league.

But it was even more important to coach Chris Sheff that his Gaels capped the week with a victory to continue improving from their 1-3 start.

Gorman accomplished both, riding a three-hit shutout pitched by Jeff Malm to an 8-0 win, their sixth in a row.

"We lost three games in our first week, and then to get back and play five league games very well this week, it's a big encouragement for our kids," Sheff said. "It gets us back on the right path."

Since the 1-3 start, Gorman (7-3, 5-0) has outscored opponents 93-12, including three straight shutouts in league.

Malm, a 6-foot-3-inch left-hander who has signed with Southern California, struck out seven, walked two and hit two batters. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate.

"He gives up a walk in the seventh, and you can kind of hear him grunt," Sheff said. "That's the type of kid he is; he wants to beat you."

Joey Rickard went 4-for-4 with an RBI double for Gorman, which scored four in the first inning. Johnny Field (three RBIs) and Stephen Manthei had two hits each.

The Gaels (7-3, 5-0) entered the season with the hype of three straight Class 4A state titles, five Division I signees and a No. 1 national ranking by Baseball America.

But they had to replace three everyday players, and the new lineup took time to mesh, Malm said.

"A new group of guys, it's always going to be tough to start off," he said. "We weren't really cohesive. But after a few weeks playing together and getting to know everybody, we're starting to gel and come together as a team."

Saturday marked the first shutout defeat for Sierra Vista (10-1, 3-1) since losing to Santana (Calif.) 7-0 in April 2007.

Jake Hager went 2-for-4 for the Mountain Lions, who committed four errors.

"That's basically what we're preaching -- trying to make the routine plays," coach Nate Selby said. "But we didn't do that today.

"We'll see them in a couple weeks and see if we can find a way to do a little better."

Contact reporter Tristan Aird at taird@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203.