BANGOR – With two innings remaining in his team’s crucial Senior League World Series game against South Bend, Ind., Chad Watson approached pitcher Robby Gonzales and gave him a piece of advice.

“I told him, ‘You’d better start thinking of something good to say in the interview tent,'” the Spring, Texas, manager said. “‘You don’t want to get up there and be going, ‘uh, uh.'”

Given the unpredictable world of youth baseball, you may think Watson’s comment sounds a bit premature.

If that’s the case, you weren’t there to see Gonzales pitch at Mansfield Stadium on Wednesday night.

Gonzales was dominant, scattering seven hits and striking out seven to lead the Southwest champs to an 8-0 victory over the Central region representatives.

The win wrapped up Spring’s round-robin play for the week and gave them a 3-1 record in Pool B. It also ensured them a berth in the semifinal round, which begins Friday. South Bend drops to 1-2 and is eliminated from contention.

Gonzales, who kept the South Bend hitters off-balance with a five pitch repertoire (two- and four-seam fastballs, fast and slow curves, and a nasty changeup), worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first and cruised to the win in his first tourney appearance.

Gonzales issued only two walks in his 92-pitch performance. Sixty-five of his pitches were strikes, including the final 16 pitches of the game.

Gonzales also benefited from some things he overheard during the game.

“I heard them over there [in the South Bend dugout] saying, ‘He’s starting out first-pitch fastball,’ said Gonzales, who began throwing his curve instead.

Spring took advantage of two South Bend errors in the bottom of the first to score two unearned runs off starter Mark Bennitt and jump out to a lead it would never relinquish.

David Gaines drove in the first run with a double to center field, while Gaines scored from third when South Bend failed to nail Byron Wiley on a stolen base attempt and the throw sailed into the outfield.

Another star for the Texas squad was third baseman Jarred Bonetti, who has rebounded from a 1-for-4 first game of the tournament to go 7-for-10 in the past three games.

The scrappy Bonetti doubled, singled twice, scored three runs, stole a base … and led Spring in the all-important dirtiest uniform category.

“My swing feels real smooth right now,” Bonetti said. “I’m just seeing the ball real well, which is a good thing. I like to try to keep my head on the ball.”

Watson said his third baseman plays like one of pro baseball’s all-time greats.

“I look at him on the base paths, and he’s Pete Rose. He’s slapping singles and doubles every time you turn around, and he’s not quitting until he slides across that base,” Watson said.

“And he eats dirt every time. You’ve gotta love it. He plays hard.”

South Bend received two singles from Jeff Sinkiewicz.

Braxton Watson singled twice and drove in a run for Spring. Gaines and Wiley scored two runs apiece.

SPRING, TEXAS 8, SOUTH BEND, IND. 0

South Bend (1-2) Spring (3-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Keultjes, 2b 4 0 1 0 Meleski, 2b 4 0 0

Davis, ss 4 0 1 0 Bonetti, 3b 4 3 0

Coffman, cf 2 0 1 0 Brax. Watson, 1b 3 1

Piennette, 1b 2 0 0 0 Bran. Watson, 1b 0

Bennitt, p-3b 3 0 0 0 Gaines, c 2 1

Jordan, rf 3 0 1 0 Smith, c 1 0 0

Miller, rf 0 0 0 0 Wiley, cf 2 2 0

Keough, c 2 0 0 0 Harughty, ss 3 0 2

b-McDonald 1 0 0 0 Mendel, rf 2 0 0

Baker, lf 3 0 1 0 Kiger, rf 1 0 0

Sinkiewicz, 3b-p 3 0 2 0 Gonzales, p 2 0

Watkins, lf 1 0 0 0

a-Flessas, lf 1 0 0 0

Totals 27 0 7 0 Totals 27 8 10 4

a-ran for Gonzales in second; b-grounded out for Keough in seventh

South Bend 000 000 0 ? 0

Spring 203 111 x ? 8

E?Davis, Keough 2, Sinkiewicz; Meleski, Gaines LOB?South Bend 8; Spring 6; 2B?Gaines, Bonetti, Kiger, Smith; DP?Gaines-Meleski, Harughty-Meleski; SF?Harughty; SB?Gaines, Wiley, Bonetti

South Bend IP H R ER BB SO

Bennitt (L,0-1) 2 1/3 4 5 2 4 1

Sinkiewicz 3 2/3 6 3 3 0 2

Spring IP H R ER BB SO

Gonzales (W,1-0) 7 7 0 0 2 7

HBP?Gonzales by Bennitt; WP?Bennitt; T?1:40; ATT?200 (est.)