High School Playoffs

Division 1 Union Stadium Sacramento City College

Division 2: American River College

Division 3: McAuliffe Field

North Section Outbracket Games--Division I

Elk Grove 9, Vintage 6

Dom Nunez stood there, his white #9 Elk Grove jersey caked in red dirt from his home field. The Thundering Herd’s four-year varsity starter had just played his final game on his varsity field and he went out like a national top prospect, going 3x4 with two ribbies and leading his teammates to a 9-6 victory over Vintage of Napa.  

“I always try to play the game hard and get as dirty as possible,” he said after the game. 

Nunez and his mates had to play hard in this out-bracket contest as Vintage, the third seed from the Monticello Empire League, wouldn’t go down easily. 

To start the game Crushers’ leadoff hitter Jared Lemke doubled off the Herd’s number-three starter, Ty Madrigal. Lemke eventually scored on a fielder’s choice to take an early 1-0 lead. 

The Herd thundered out of the gate, scoring three runs in the home half of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Nick Madrigal singled, Carlos Moseley was safe on a fielder’s choice and Nunez drove in Madrigal to start the scoring. Rowdy Tellez and Derek Hill drove in runs with fielder’s choice choppers and Elk Grove led 3-0. 

Leading 3-1 in the third, Elk Grove cranked up the offense with back-to-back singles by Mosely and Nunez, who moved up on a passed ball. They both scored when the Crusher’s misplayed Tellez’ infield grounder. Hill tripled to drive in Tellez and he scored on Dylan Carlson’s sacrifice fly to take what appeared to be a commanding 7-1 lead.  

But Vintage answered with a four-spot of its own in the fourth inning to make it 7-5. 

In this win-or-go-home game, Elk Grove head coach Jeff Carlson brought in ace David Smith to relieve for Madrigal in the fifth. But the senior right hander appeared rocky on the hill, displaying inconsistent velocity and location. Smith gave up two hits in the fifth inning and the Crusher’s sixth run in the sixth inning.  

But the Herd put some distance between themselves by tacking on a run in the fifth and in the sixth to put the game away, 9-6. They had to continue scoring as Elk Grove made three errors in the contest.

The defense, howeer, shined when it needed to in the fourth inning.

After Vintage plated four runs to tlim the Herd's lead to 7-5, with two outs and a runner on second, Rowdy Tellez, now playing right field instead of his usual first base, fielded a base hit and fired a strike to home that appeared in time to get the runner. First baseman Carlson cut the ball and threw to Nunez who was prepared for another collision. The ball arrived in time, Nunez tagged the runner and the inning was over. Great Elk Grove defense on display in a crucial inning-ending play.

Regarding the choice of starting sophomore Ty Madrigal in this crucial game, Carlson noted “He gave up some unearned runs and did a good job of keeping us in the game. He was a little under the weather today,” Carlson added, “and we got everything we wanted out of him.” 

Elk Grove (23-5) managed 11 hits, led by led Nunez (3x4, 2 RBI), Hill (2x3, triple 2 RBI), Nick Madrigal (2x3) and  Landon Gastelum (2x3). Tellez and Carlson each drove in a pair of runs without a hit.  

Nunez and his teammates now advance to the Division 1 North Section playoffs at Sacramento City College. They draw the Sierra Foothill League’s number-one seed Woodcreek (20-6) Wednesday at 4 p.m.  They’ll be sending Micheal Wright, one of the Elk Grove pitching staff’s Twin Towers, to start for the Herd. 

Whether they continue on or not after Wednesday Nunez has appreciated the opportunity to play for one of Northern California’s traditional powerhouses. “Playing four years on the Herd varsity under Coach Carlson has been an awesome experience and definitely life-changing for me. It’s been an honor,” said the UCLA-commit who some scouts are targeting as a top draft selection in June.

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Jesuit 11,  Granite Bay 5
Pleasant Grove 2, Rocklin 1
Franklin 13, Rodriguez 0

5/08/13

Division 1 number one playoff seeds were up for grabs today in the Sierra Foothill and Delta River Leagues and both teams with a chance to grab the brass ring came up short.  

Pleasant Grove 10, Jesuit 4 

At Jesuit this afternoon, Rob Rinaldi’s Pleasant Grove Eagles knew they had no shot at the number one seed, even though they are assured of a playoff berth, so they did the next best thing and beat Jesuit on its home field 10-4 to claim a share of the DRL title with Oak Ridge (which won against Ponderosa). 

Josh Adams led the Eagles offensive with two towering home runs over the right field wall in going 3x4 with five runs batted in. Bronson Grubbs chipped in with a 2-RBI single and winning pitcher Matt Stafford went 2x5 with an RBI.   

Stafford allowed Jesuit four runs during his 5 2/3 innings stint. In their half of the fifth, the Eagles infield made consecutive errors allowing two runners on. Jesuit’s Lorenzo Arcuri drove in one run and with two outs, slugger Julian Barron knocked in two runs with a single as Jesuit narrowed the gap to 6-4.  

But the Marauders played sloppy defense, committing six errors, which allowed Pleasant Grove loads of chances to circle the bases along with their 11 hits. The Eagles padded their lead by scoring once in the sixth and three more times in the seventh inning to put the game away and secure a co-championship. 

“This means a lot,” Rinaldi said while reminiscing after the game about the preceding years when Jesuit traditionally won the Delta River League, until last year when Pleasant Grove earned its first league title.

“For the second year in a row, we beat (Jesuit) two times and it means we get to hang a banner: two-time Delta River champs. It’s what you play for.” Pleasant Grove finished the regular season 21-7 and 12-3 in league.

By nature of today's win, Oak Ridge earns the DRL's number one seed and a week of rest.

Jesuit drops to 20-7 and 12-4 and ends up with the #3 DRL seed.

Rinaldi admits that the Division 1 playoff picture is “wide open” with no clear favorite all the teams that have been named number one throughout the season. 

Rinaldi was effusive in praising Adams, the Santa Barbara-bound senior. “He threw a (five-hit) complete game shutout against these guys (Jesuit) on Monday, then hit two home runs in his last game of the season. The big man always tends to come through when it’s the biggest stage.” 

With crystal blue eyes, wheat-colored hair and charming aw-shucks delivery, Adams is the classic boy-next-door out of a Norman Rockwell illustration. After baseball is over, don’t be surprised if he is hired in Southern California at a film studio. 

Meantime, he and his teammates hope to improve on last year’s early exit from the playoffs and compete for a Sac-Joaquin Section crown.  

Note: Check out this NorCalPreps profile on Adams.

~ ~ ~ 

Rocklin 2, Granite Bay 1  

Rocklin starting pitcher Logan Webb struck out eight while limiting Granite Bay to a Vinnie Esposito hit through five shutout innings to lead the Thunder to a 2-1 victory over the Grizzlies. 

The win prevented Granite Bay (17-9 / 11-4 ) from closing the season with an outright Sierra Foothill League title. Instead with the Grizzlies loss and Woodcreek’s 10-4 win over Nevada Union, the teams share in the SFL title. 

At Rocklin, both teams scored once in the second inning. Then in the home half of the sixth, Rocklin loaded the bases, and Joey Raymond knocked in the eventual winning run. Rocklin was in sore need of a victory after losing six of seven to Roseville, Woodcreek (where they were swept), and Granite Bay before today’s victory. 

Granite Bay finishes the regular season in the SFL.  Woodcreek’s season ended with a flurry of wins, finishing 20-6 and 11-4, and tied Granite Bay as Co-Champions of the SFL. Woodcreek gets the first place seed by winning 2 of 3 in head-to-head competition with Granite Bay. 

5/07/13

Davis Wins Delta Valley Title on Trask Walk-Off Hit

by Editor Rick Cabral

Back around the turn of the century, when baseball truly was our National Pastime, teams representing towns would venture off to play a neighboring squad. And in the process, rivalries sprung up in this “town-ball” atmosphere that are still contested to this day. 

Although it’s not exactly the same, the Davis-Elk Grove rivalry in the Delta Valley Conference, is the closest thing to hopping in the Time Machine and reliving that “town-ball” experience. And today, no admission price could have been too steep, as two fine teams battled right down to the final play, because a championship—and a town’s bragging rights—were at stake. 

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With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh of a 2-2 game, Davis’ Matt Trask faced a drawn-in Elk Grove infield and reliever David Smith brought in to pitch the critical seventh inning. Reminding himself not to ground into a double play, Trask laced a ringing single through the infield, driving in Brett Bloomfield with the game-winning run, giving Davis (14-1) its first conference championship since 2009. 

Bloomfield earlier had doubled with one out to start the Davis rally. A walk to junior John Ariola, followed by a catcher’s interference call had loaded the bases for Trask, who also hit the walk-off game- winner against Elk Grove on April 12.  

Just four days ago, Trask was on the opposite side of the emotional roller coaster when Elk Grove drubbed the junior pitcher for 10 hits and six earned runs. Today was redemption for the blonde-haired Blue Devil. 

“It’s unbelievable,” Trask said right after the game. “I’m speechless, honestly,” he said holding the game ball presented to him by head coach Dan Ariola. 

“It was a great game, definitely a crazy game,” a happy and relieved Ariola said post-game.  

By “crazy” Ariola could have meant several plays.  

There was a balk called after a Herd runner appeared to be picked off first base. Or there was the attempted pick-off by catcher Dom Nunez to first baseman Rowdy Tellez. As the runner took off for second, Tellez fell to the ground, but while applying a tag it appeared he nicked the runner’s back foot. The base umpire ruled “no tag” and Davis scored what would have been its third run of the third inning. After Elk Grove coach Jeff Carlson appealed the play, the home plate umpire reversed the ruling, called the runner out at first base and negated the scored run, leaving the game tied 2-2. 

Carlson felt it never should have gotten that far.

The third inning began when Davis junior Trey Golston opened with a base hit. He advanced to third on a passed ball and wild pitch. Bloomfield walked. With Ariola at the plate, Nunez saw Bloomfield leading far off the bag and fired down to first. Tellez tagged Bloomfield and Golston darted for home. Tellez fired a strike to Nunez, who blocked home plate with the ball in his glove. Golston charged in hard, appeared not to slide and collided with Nunez in a play that was reminiscent of last week’s game between these two teams when Joe Murray of Davis was called out and ejected for not sliding. Instead, Golston was called safe, making it a 1-1 game. 

Elk Grove coach Jeff Carlson argued that the runner clearly was out, and should have been ejected for not sliding. “It wasn’t even close. The throw was there (in time),” a disappointed but resigned Carlson said after the game. (Golston) did not slide, and came right in to the catcher with intent to injure. And once again, that kid should have been ejected. It’s just uncalled for. There’s not a place for that in high school baseball.” 

Later in the inning Davis loaded the bases and freshman shortstop Ryan Kreidler hit a hard come-backer to Wright, who couldn’t handle the ball, allowing Bloomfield to score and staking Davis to a 2-1 lead. 

Davis pitcher Joey Young allowed Elk Grove only three hits: a double to Tellez who knocked in one run in the first inning, a double to Wright, and a single to Nunez. That’s all the Thundering Herd could muster against the senior right-hander who walked four and struck out five.

Blue Devils’ reliever Adam Inouye was brought in with two outs in the sixth inning, struck out a batter and limited Elk Grove to one run. He fanned two more in the Herd seventh inning. 

“They got it done; we didn’t,” Carlson conceded while walking to the Davis parking lot. “That’s the bottom line.” 

Young improved to 6-3. Smith, who was the winner against Davis on Friday, drops to 7-2. John Ariola and Bloomfield each had a pair of hits for the winners who totaled seven safeties. 

None, however, was bigger than Trask’s game-winner in the seventh inning which clinched the Delta Valley Conference championship for the Davis Blue Devils, who last won a title in 2009.  

“This was a huge win, a league championship,” an elated Dan Ariola said afterward. “(Elk Grove now 13-2) had just routed us 12-2 on Friday. But I told the team, we have guys that can bounce back. That’s what this group has done for years, they’ve come back from tough defeats. 

“And they did it today.” 

Both teams, along with Franklin High, will advance to the playoffs, with Davis holding the top seed from the Delta Valley.

5/06/13

Granite Bay Shuts Down Rocklin 4-0 Behind Meza’s 4-Hitter  

by Editor, Rick Cabral

Granite Bay pitcher Gabe Meza pitched a four-hit complete game shutout as the Grizzlies defeated Rocklin 4-0 in an important Sierra Foothill League game. 

The right-handed Meza successfully located his fastball on the corners and at the knees. Plus his curve had the sharp 12-6 bite that devastated Rocklin’s hitters, who raised nary a thunderclap in today’s contest.  

The Grizzlies got on the board in the third inning after Ryan Rosa singled and Devin Lehman drove him in with a double. Two innings later, Austin Schiber reached on an infield error, was sacrificed over, and Rosa drove him in with a single to right field, making it 2-0 Granite Bay. 

Rocklin rallied in the bottom of the fifth and had the bases loaded with two outs, but Meza bore down and retired the last batter on a fly to left field to retain his shutout. The stocky senior came into this game with a surprising 4-3 record and 2.19 ERA, after tossing a no-hitter against Roseville one month ago.  

“Meza did a friggin’ great job today, an awesome performance,” said an enthusiastic coach Pat Esposito. “He got ahead in the count, and threw his curve ball for strikes.”  

Known to teammates as “Bubba,” the Sacramento State-bound Meza agreed his command has been sporadic this season. “Today was one of my better days,” he said. “I was hitting spots early in the game and my breaking pitch felt real good.” Meza, who is among the Top 20 in strikeouts among North Section pitchers, walked one and struck out five against Rocklin. 

Granite Bay (16-8) got just enough offense to support Meza. Lehman and Rosa both went 3x4 with one RBI, and Zach Hall had a two-run homer in the sixth inning to pad the Grizzles’ lead to four runs. For the home team, Ryan Alexander got two of Rocklin’s four hits, one of them a double.  

“For us, we’re just trying to finish strong,” Esposito said after the game. “I don’t think we’ve even peaked yet, honestly.” He speculates that if his team had generated “a little more consistent offense this year” Granite Bay would have won a couple of the close ones, and wouldn’t need to win-out against Rocklin. 

Granite Bay (9-2) and Rocklin play each other twice more this week (tomorrow and Wednesday) in what could decide the SFL title. By nature of the Woodcreek (8-3) loss today (4-3 to Nevada Union), Granite Bay goes up one game in the SFL standings. The Wolves, however, own the tie-breaker should the two teams end the season with the same record.  

5/04/13

Woodcreek Sweeps Rocklin with 6-4 SFL Win.

Woodcreek beat Rocklin 6-4 to sweep the series and notch a tie for first place in the Sierra Foothill League with Granite Bay, also 9-3.

Pitcher Dylan Spezia earned the win and went 2x4 with a double and two RBI. Catcher George Corp went 2x3 with an RBI and Stephen Nogosek had an RBI double.

With the win, Woodcreek shares the first place lead in the SFL with Granite Bay, which plays Rocklin three times next week.

(Stats courtesy of Game Changer)

Elk Grove-Davis Fireworks Follow-Up

Ironically, in yesterday's game that featured the Joe Murray-Dom Nunez fracas, there was another put-out at the plate that should net some attention.

In Elk Grove's four-run third inning, D.J. Mico singled to left field, driving in Mikey Wright with the Herd's 3rd run of the inning. Dylan Carlson was waved around third and the relay throw from left field to catcher Hayden Duer had him out by several feet. Carlson, a freshman and son of head coach Jeff Carlson, wisely tried to avoid a collision by attempting to slide around the catcher and make a hand tag of the plate.

Either way, Carlson was out. But he made the correct move given his circumstances, as the photo below shows (Granted, the Easton bat in the baseline may have influenced his thinking). This is in contrast to Murray's attempted bowl-over move of Nunez in the first inning. Umpire Doug Baldwin watches closely before calling Carlson out, which was the first out of the inning.

5/03/13

Fireworks Early, As Herd Defeats Blue Devils 12-2

By Editor, Rick Cabral

The battle for the Delta Valley League will come down to the final game of the season, after Elk Grove dismantled the Davis Blue Devils 12-2 in a 10-run mercy game

Entering the game, this promised to be a showcase of two of the area’s finest right handed pitchers: Davis’ Matt Trask who was 6-1 with a 0.93 earned run average and David Smith also 6-1 with an even 1.00 ERA.

In the first inning Davis’ Joe Murray singled to lead off. Junior John Ariola hit a fielder’s choice that allowed Murray to advance to third. Chris Daunt struck out looking, and Ariola started for second to get into a rundown and draw the throw from catcher Dom Nunez. With the ball, first baseman Rowdy Tellez saw Murray break for home and fired a strike to Nunez, who went to the apply the tag. Instead of sliding (a high school requirement), Murray attempted to barrel over Nunez, who tagged him out anyway for the third out.

The Elk Grove bench emptied on to the field in support of Nunez their captain, who showed his disdain by growling at Murray and firing the ball to the ground.

For his transgression, home plate umpire Doug Baldwin tossed Murray out of the game, which turned out to be a pivotal play in three ways. Not only did Davis fail to score that inning and grab the lead, where momentum is key, but it required Davis coach Dan Ariola to send in a replacement in left field, and shift sophomore Drew Gnos to Murray’s position at second base. Also, for his ejection, Murray faces the additional penalty of being ineligible for Tuesday’s important game, as required by high school regulations.

In the Herd dugout, Coach Jeff Carlson calmed his team down with these words: “Speak with your bats and your arms; not your mouths.”

With two outs in the bottom of the second inning, the Herd’s D.J. Mico singled. Sophomore leadoff hitter Nick Madrigal hit a sharp grounder to Gnos, who misplayed the ball and then threw wildly to first base, allowing Madrigal to reach on an error. Carlos Mosely then drove in Mico when the second baseman made another error, and Elk Grove scored the first run of the game.

In the bottom of the third, Elk Grove loaded the bases after Tellez was hit by a pitch, Derek Hill singled, and Mikey Wright laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that Trask couldn’t get to in time. Freshman Dylan Carlson walked to bring in a run. Ty Madrigal, Nick’s twin brother, singled to drive in one more, and the Thundering Carousel of base hits continued until the Herd led 5-0.

Davis answered in the fourth inning by posting two runs on a Hayden Duer double. Later in the frame, however, Elk Grove tacked on five more runs, driving Trask from the mound and ending Davis’ hopes of winning the title in Elk Grove.

Leading hitters for the victors: Mosely (2x3, 2b, 3 RBI), Mico (2x3, 2 RBI), Hill (3x3), Wright (2x4) and Tellez had a double his last at bat in the fifth inning, when Elk Grove added two more times to close out the game.

Over five innings, the Herd’s Smith gave up five hits, two earned runs and only one walk while striking out five Blue Devils batters to garner the win. He goes to 7-1, while Trask downsizes to 6-2 and his ERA jumped to 1.74.

Both teams, now 13-1 in Delta Valley League play, will meet on Tuesday at Davis’ home field, where the victor will take the number one seed into the playoffs.

5/02/13

Woodcreek 9, Rocklin 0

Tyler Milani tossed a five-hit shutout to lead Woodcreek to a 9-0 whitewash over Rocklin, throwing the Sierra Foothill League into a three-way tie for first place.

Leading the Wolveines' hitters were catcher George Corp (3x4, 2 RBI), Carson Farnsworth (HR, 2 RBI), Austin Blatnick (2 RBI) and Stephen Nogosek (3x4).

in the SFL, Woodcreek owns the tie-breaker as its beaten both Rocklin and Granite Bay twice. The teams all have four more games, and next week Rocklin-and Granite Bay tangle, while Woodcreek plays three games against Nevada Union, which is 4-7 in league.

Capital Christian 9, Bradshaw Christian 8

Last weekend, Bradshaw Christian (19-5) stunned the prep ranks by defeating star-studded Elk Grove 5-1 behind the masterful pitching of senior Austin Ragdale.

Today, the Pride tangled with another breed of cat--the Cougars of Capital Christian (19-5-1)--making this a battle between two of the top programs (at D6 and D5 respectively) where winning in a private, Christian environment has become an institution.

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The game featured two excellent right handed starters: senior captain Ben Ritchey in his fourth varsity season with the Cougars, matched against fellow senior, Blake Stassi (5-1).

Ritchey entered the contest with just a 2-1 record in 31 innings that included excellent outings against Pioneer and Whitney, two of the elite teams in Division 3.

The Pride started the scoring in the second when Ritchey walked Ragsdale. Junior lefthander Grant Heisinger, again batting over .500 for the second straight season, followed with a double to put runners at third and second. Junior Kyle Betts drove in the first run with a fielder’s choice and Garrett Johnson singled in Heisinger to give BC a 2-0 lead.

Bradshaw Christian added one more in the third. Josh Criswell, the senior catcher doubled, followed by a free pass to junior Seth Vandegrift. Ragsdale’s single loaded the bases. Heisinger’s sacrifice fly gave BC a 3-0 lead.

Capital Christian (CC) got one run in their half of the third when shortstop Mauricio Dubon reached on a throwing error. He stole second base, and Ritchey drove him in with a single.

Bradshaw took what looked to be a commanding 6-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning, scoring three runs off the normally stingy Ritchey, who sported a 0.68 ERA before today’s game.

In the fifth Capital Christian’s first batter reached on a walk, but he was erased when the next batter lined into a double play. Stassi looked to be in full command, when CC’s number-nine hitter senior Terrance Bremby tripled to reawaken the Cougars.

Dubon walked and then Ritchey tripled over the centerfielder’s head to score both runners. Next Tyler Schimpf—who led all Capital Christian batters with a .531 average coming in to today’s game—also tripled to drive in Ritchey. Right fielder Johnson singled in Schimpf, making it 6-5.

Bradshaw Christian still held a slim lead, but it appeared that “Uncle Mo” had switched dugouts.

Ritchey returned to the mound and quickly got his club back to the bench. Pinch hitter Tyler Jennings immediately singled, and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Then Bremby kept the carousel in motion with a single. Dubon was intentionally passed. Ritchey once again came through, this time with a double to bring in one run. Schimpf copied the team captain with a double to drive in Dubon, giving Capital Christian a 9-6 lead heading into the final frame.

Capital Christian coach Nelson Randolph replaced Ritchey on the mound with Dubon, the infield magician who seems to make Web Gems a routine part of his defensive game. He struck out the first batter, but then issued a pair of walks. Betts knocked in the first runner with a double, followed by a sacrifice fly by senior Bradley Mabee, making it a 9-8 nailbiter. Dubon retired the next batter for the final out, capping a see-saw battle won by the home team.

The winning team had 10 hits, led by Ritchey and Schimpf who were both 3x4 with a double and triple. Ritchey had four RBI, but Schimpf had the game winning RBI among his two. Bremby also went 2x3 with a triple.

Bradshaw Christian, which also had 10 hits, was led by Heisinger who had a double and 2 RBI, Betts went 2x4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI and Criswell went 2x4, 2b.

The two teams return to their respective conference play (Capital Christian is 14-0 in the Golden Empire League, while Bradshaw Christian is 11-0 in the Sierra Delta League) where they will finish up the season in preparation for the upcoming playoffs.

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4/30/13

Woodcreek 2, Rocklin 0

Cy Hynes of Woodcreek pitched an economical 4-hit shutout against Rocklin this afternoon to bring his Wolverines to within one game of first place in the Sierra Foothill League.

With a blustery north wind blowing in from the dead centerfield, no one managed a long poke this afternoon in what was shaping as a pitcher’s duel. Through three innings, the teams were scoreless. Woodcreek opened the scoring in the bottom of the fourth when Tyler Milani singled, advanced to second on a bunt single by Dylan Spezia, went to third on Stephen Nogosek’s fielder’s choice, and raced home on a wild pitch by Rocklin starter, Austin Dick.

One inning later, Woodcreek added another run when Dylan Bell singled. Pinch runner Zach Warner went to second base on a passed ball, and scored on Austin Blatnick’s single up the middle to give the Wolverines a 2-0 lead.

Hynes only had one 1-2-3 inning, but he tightened when the Wolves needed him. Along with the four hits, he issued three free passes, hit one batter and struck out four. Twice Woodcreek bailed him out with double plays.

The Wolves have gone 12-3 in six weeks, much of that without ace starter Nogosek, who is still nursing a sore right arm. Nogosek hasn't pitched since 4/16 against Roseville when he allowed five earned runs in one-third of an inning due to soreness in his pitching shoulder.

At 2x3, Spezia was the only hitter with a multi-hit game today. Coming in to this game Bell was leading Woodcreek in hitting with a .471 average, followed by Spezia at .407 and catcher George Corp with a .393 average.

Rocklin (14-7) drops to 8-2 in the SFL, while Woodcreek (16-5) improves to 7-3. The two teams meet again Thursday at Rocklin and once more on Saturday back in Roseville for the third game of the series.

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4/29/13

Espley’s 7 RBI Leads Wildcats to 20-11 Win over El Camino

by Editor Rick Cabral

There is no finer compliment for a hitter than to say “dude can rake.”

This afternoon, we could have been talking about the entire Whitney (23-1) team, which collected 19 hits and pasted El Camino 20-11.

The north wind was blowing out at El Camino’s intimate little ballpark (310 to left, 410 in center, and 288 to the right foul pole) providing an ideal afternoon for offense. And we got it in spades.

In the bottom of the first inning Wildcats starter Drew Romo gave up a pair of round-trippers to Eagles pitcher Matt Kintz and catcher Ben Knudsen, who both capitalized on the jet stream to left field. El Camino notched five runs against Romo in the first to make 5-1. But the lefthander’s teammates picked him up big time.

Against Kintz, the Eagles top pitcher, Whitney scored once in the first, starting with a ringer to right field by leadoff hitter P.J. Floyd who went 3x5 with two doubles and looked like the second coming of Stan Musial. The Wildcats pasted Kintz for nine runs—all earned— before coach Jon Mauerer brought in a Eagles reliever in the third. Small difference as Whitney scored eight more times to take an 18-5 lead in the fifth.

Whitney was led by junior Brandon Espley who went 4x5 with two home runs, a double and seven runs batted in to lead all hitters.

J.R. Robinson, the area’s leading hitter (.574) and RBI king as of Sunday (39), knocked in a pair of runs with stinging singles through the infield, both of them off curve balls. Dude can rake.

Others from the Whitney ground crew included seniors Walker Carpenter (3x4 with a double and triple), and teammate Trevor Abrams (3x4 two doubles and two RBI).

El Camino answered with six runs in the sixth to avoid a 10-run mercy stoppage, making the score respectable at 18-11. Whitney wasn’t finished, however, and tallied two more times.

The Eagles were led by Knudsen, Logan Korn and Kevin Wise who each went 3x4, with Knudsen knocking in four RBI.

Although Romo gave up 15 hits and seven earned runs, he got the win and improved to 6-0. Kintz dropped to 6-3.

Whitney elevates to 11-1 in the Capital League, two games ahead of Antelope. Meanwhile, with the loss El Camino (5-7) may see the DIII playoffs slipping away. The two teams play again on Wednesday at Whitney’s home field.

(GameChanger contributed to this report)

04/27/13

Woodcreek 9, Granite Bay 4

Woodcreek defeated Granite Bay 9-4 to take the rubber match in this week's three-game series in Sierra Foothill League action. With the win, Eric Valencia's Section Division II defending champions move to a second-place tie with GBay at 6-3, two games behind Rocklin (8-1), which lost its first game this week.

Woodcreek and Rocklin battle next week in a three-game series beginning 4/30 at the Timberwolves home field. Rocklin concludes the regular season with a series against Granite Bay, which hosts two of the three contests.

With the SFL playing at Division I for the first time the Sac-Joaquin North Section playoffs feature twelve teams from the four leagues for the first time Others include the Delta Valley, Delta River and Monticello Empire Leagues. Beginning with an out-bracket game beginning May 13, all of the contests will be played at Sacramento City College, including the three-game series against the South Section representative.

(Stats provided courtesy of Game Changer)

04/26/13

Oak Ridge 7, Sheldon 3

By editor Rick Cabral

The Oak Ridge Trojans took care of business this afternoon, defeating host Sheldon 7-3.

The game was delayed by a half hour before the umpires arrived. But Oak Ridge shortstop Alec DeWatteville got things going in a hurry when he lead off with a triple (his second of the afternoon) and scored on a Mickey Meinhofer single. Later, Meinhofer advanced to third and scored on a passed ball. Oak Ridge led 2-0 in the first inning.

Sheldon answered in their half of the first on a Hunter White single, followed by a Travis Cloyd double, making it 2-1.

Sheldon answered with a home run of its own off the bat of Ramos. But Oak Ridge added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning to clinch the contest, 7-3.

Trojans’ starter Ryan Sullivan went four innings, allowing only two hits, two earned runs. Left-handed reliever Brogan Cooper pitched three strong innings, allowing just three hits, including the Ramos home run. The major blemish for the Trojans two pitchers today: they issued eight free passes.

Sheldon senior second baseman Kenny Ganzler was 2x4. Langan, the Huskies left-handed starter, was tagged for five earned runs and took the loss. He is now 3-3 on the year.

With the victory, Coach Todd Melton's Oak Ridge team (12-8) improves to 6-3 in the Delta River League, one game behind the leaders Jesuit and Pleasant Grove. Oak Ridge looks poised to make a run heading into the playoffs.

04/25/13

Brothers Beats Del Campo 4-2
Halts Cougars 10-Game Winning Streak
by Editor Rick Cabral

Christian Brothers took the steam out of the area’s hottest team by beating Del Campo 4-2 at home on Joe Marty Field. And it boiled over on the final play.

Brothers scored two runs in the first inning, giving pitcher Steven Talbert the über confidence to challenge two of the area’s best hitters, Derek Rodigo and Jared Biggs (batting .480 and .475 respectively).

Although Rodigo homered deep to left field in the fourth inning, and Biggs twice singled, Talbert managed to limit the damage, holding the Cougars to five hits, two runs and four strikeouts over seven innings. Although he didn’t walk anyone, Talbert hit two batters.

Biggs led off with a single. The next Del Campo batter hit a deep drive caught by Brothers' right fielder Brendan Gormely near the foul pole for the first out. Talbert hit the next batter, putting runners on first and second with one out.

Cougars' pinch hitter James Mantsch singled to score Biggs, placing pinch runner Glenn Chapman at second base and Mantsch at first. Brothers head coach Rich Henning stuck with his junior starter, and was rewarded as Talbert got a strikeout with a change-up on the corner for the second out.

Then Del Campo leadoff batter Mike Hatfield, hitless on the day, lined a single to left center field. Chapman raced for home, but Mantsch was caught in a run down near third base and was tagged out (7-6-5) to end the game. Had he reached third base safely, the Cougars would have had the tying run on base with the power guys in the lineup to follow.

With that stake-in-the-heart ending, Del Campo's 10-game winning streak--longest in the area--came to a sudden end.

As the two teams started to line up for the traditional handshake line, several Del Campo players appeared visibly upset and began arguing among themselves. Before it could escalate into a fracas between teams, Del Campo head coach Paul Martinez ordered his team to the outfield where they ran wind sprints for their character lapse. The handshake between teams didn’t happen, though both coaching staffs concluded it civilly.

The two rooting sections behind the plate, however, took up their respective banners. One Brothers' fan called the Cougars' team "classless" for not shaking hands. A Del Campo mother chided the other side for deriding her Del Campo players. After it all died down, a father from the Cougars section got the last word when he said, "Good luck in the playoffs, CB!"

With the victory, Christian Brothers (13-8) improved to 5-5 in conference play and kept alive the hope they might still secure the CVC’s third berth in the playoff. Del Campo (16-6) falls to 9-1 in Capital Valley League play, and owns a 1.5 game lead over Bella Vista.

Brothers totaled nine hits against three Del Campo pitchers. Centerfielder Austin Johnson was 3x3 with 1 RBI and junior shortstop Brandon Hunley was 2x3 with 1 RBI. Sophomore third baseman Anthony Calderon--hitting .375 entering the game--drove in the Falcons first run with a single in the first inning.

After the Del Campo players finished their wind sprints, coach Martinez sent them back to the infield where the Brothers' boys were busily finishing their field work. Both teams formed a handshake line and the day concluded peacefully.

The two teams resume their rivalry tomorrow at Del Campo's home field.

4/23/13

Woodcreek 3, Granite Bay 2

In a Sierra Foothill League classic, Woodcreek edged host Granite Bay 3-2.

Eric Valencia's Timberwolves were happy to see the return of Stephen Nogosek after sitting out a couple games with arm troubles. He played second base and doubled in the game-winning run in the sixth inning.

The team's were scoreless through four innings, when Woodcreek plated two runs in the fifth inning on a Hank Pankratz sacrifice fly and Cy Hynes single.

Hines must have looked like Cy Young to the growling Grizzlies, as they managed only two hits and no runs off the Woodcreek pitcher through five innings.

In the sixth inning Granite Bay got on the board with two leadoff walks and a Ryan Rosa RBI single (which helped offset his three errors at shortstop today).

In the 7th inning, the Grizzlies loaded the bases and scored their second run. But a game-ending 1-2-3 double play secured the win for Woodcreek, which improves to 5-2 in the SFL and is now tied with Granite Bay for second place. Rocklin still leads the league by two games at 6-0 (depending on the outcome of their game this afternoon).

Grizzles' starter Gabe Meza, who tossed a no-hitter earlier this season, gave up 3 earned runs and took the loss. He is 3-3 on the year. Timberwolves' winning pitcher Hynes goes to 3-1.

(Stats provided courtesy of Game Changer)

Mira Loma coach Jon Harris was steamed yesterday.

This was before his Matadors were thrashed 23-1 to a very sound and powerful Whitney Wildcats team which improved to 20-1 (story below).

On Monday, Harris discovered that seven boxes of game baseballs (Diamond D1 California NFHS) had been stolen over the weekend from his equipment shed. That’s an approximate $350 outlay. Harris would appreciate anyone with information about the stolen equipment should contact him at 916-923-8108 or norcalbaseball7@yahoo.com.

Speaking of Mira Loma, long ago they featured some of the area's top talent, including Gary Szakacs (1969), who signed a pro contract and spent three years in minor league ball, along with dozens of seasons in our local bush leagues.

We bring up Szakacs as he and eight other prominent baseball men will be inducted Saturday in the La Salle Club Baseball Hall of Fame at Christian Brothers High. To read more about Sacramento’s preeminent baseball Hall of Fame, go here.

4/22/13

Whitney 23, Mira Loma 1

Whitney shellacked Mira Loma today 23-1.

Leading hitters for the Wildcats were Walker Carpenter 3x4, 3 RBI; Aaron Winter 3x3, 2 RBI and P.J. Floyd 3x3, 3b.

With the score 8-1 in the top of the sixth, Whitney scored 15 runs to make it a blowout. Pitcher Drew Romo scattered six hits, while fanning four Matadors.

Whitney sports an area-best 20-1 record, and improved to 8-1 in the Capital League, good for first place.

Oak Ridge 7, Sheldon 4

Austin Root struck out seven hitters en route to Oak Ridge 7-4 win over Sheldon. The right handed junior allowed two earned runs on seven hits and two walks over seven innings.

Sheldon jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Brandon Langan singled in Matt Manning, who got on with a double. The Huskies added two more runs in the fourth inning.

Oak Ridge took the lead in the fifth inning scoring four runs on two singles and two errors.

For the Trojans, Logan Denholm went 2x4 with a double and two RBI. F.P. Santangelo Jr. and Logan Marston both went 3-3. Santangelo had an RBI and Marson had a double. Alec DeWatteville was 2x4.

For Sheldon Jesse Phipps and Brandon Baymiller both went 2x3, and Baymiller had 2 RBI.

Oak Ridge (10-8) improves to 4-3 in Delta River League standings, while Sheldon (8-11) drops to 2-5.

GameChanger contributed to this report.

4/20/13 

Pioneer Rallies to Beat Woodland Christian 7-6  in 8 Innings at Clark Field

Saturday marked the first time these two schools met on this historic ballfield that has witnessed many great players over the years, including Joe DiMaggio and hometown hero, Boston’s Dustin Pedroia. 

Pioneer competes in the Division III Tri-County League, once dominated by Yuba City and the Stassi Family, while Woodland Christian (WC) play three levels lower in Division VI (where they own a two-game lead in the Central Valley California League). On paper, this looked like the classic David versus Goliath scenario. 

But WC had a not-so-secret weapon: pitcher Anthony Castaneda, the 6’4”, 230 pound junior right hander who has dominated the diamond from the mound this season. In 33 innings, he’s given up only 23 hits and three walks while striking out 53 batters—an amazing strikeout-to-walk ratio. No doubt, some of which he learned last summer playing with the Sacramento Stingers under Sac State coach Reggie Christiansen. 

Saturday’s competition, however, featured a much stiffer test than the typical competition Castaneda is used to facing in schools such as Victory Christian and Sacramento Waldorf. This was Pioneer, a talent-laded team featuring four Division I signees and with possibly more prospects in 2013 than any school not named Elk Grove High. Likely they viewed this as a simple tuneup as they head into the home stretch before the playoffs. 

If nothing else, the Woodland community could congregate for some old-time Saturday night baseball.  

To start the game Woodland Christian’s leadoff hitter Shane Norton punched Pioneer in the kisser when he homered off southpaw Andrew Fuentes. Although Castaneda later singled, Kevin Galart’s team quickly limited the deficit to 1-0. 

Castaneda took the hill and promptly struck out the side with a strong but not scintillating fastball, a deceptive change-up and a fair breaking ball that he is just getting the hang of, according to his coach, Jerry Miller. When Castaneda returned to the mound in the second inning and struck out clean-up hitter Thomas Galart—his fourth in a row—the mood in the Pioneer dugout quickly morphed from casual confidence to “strap on them helmets, we got a battle, boys.” 

The tall right-hander had just fanned three Division I recruits heading to Cal State Fullerton (leadoff hitter, Marcus Vidales), Washington (Robert Daugherty) and Nevada (Galart). But then Pioneer’s designated hitter Justin Carlier doubled, Zack Aukes (the fourth recruit committed to Oregon) walked and Seth Black singled to drive in Carlier and tie the score. Reality seemed to resurface at Clark Field. 

Woodland Christian scored two more runs in the third inning. Coach Galart sent his son Thomas to the mound in the fourth inning, quite possibly to restore the fear of God in the Cardinals, which clung to a 3-1 lead. At 6’4”, 240, Thomas Galart is an intimidating presence on the mound; the epitome of good ol’ country hardball. 

He entered the game among the area leaders in pitching stats with a 0.70 earned run average, 22 hits and 10 walks allowed with 54 strikeouts in 40 innings. On top of that, he was hitting .429. Yet in the fifth inning, WC immediately started a rally off Galart with a Norton single and a walk. Next Castaneda laid down a sacrifice bunt, but Galart adroitly charged off the mound, fielded the ball and threw in time to third base to get Norton for the first out. 

Cleanup hitter Tyler Maszk singled to drive in one run, Walker Perry drove in another on a fielder’s choice, and Woodland Christian scored its third run in an inning marred by two Patriots errors.  

Leading 6-1, Coach Miller brought in Perry to pitch and moved Castaneda to first base. Castaneda had given him six strong innings, allowing just two hits, one earned run, while striking out eight perplexed Patriots. He did, however, double his walk total for the year with three free passes, but ultimately that didn’t hurt him. 

With Castaneda off the bump, Pioneer seized the opportunity and pounced on WC’s new pitcher. The first hitter Black singled and the next two hitters reached on a walk and a hit batsman to load the bases. Vidales singled to drive in one run. The next hitter walked to bring in a run, then Daugherty plated one more Patriot with a fielder’s choice. The Pats were licking their chops, anticipating a rally for all-time.

At this point, Miller brought in Norton to face Galart, who lashed a ball up the middle. It glanced off the shortstop’s glove for a 2-run error that easily could have been ruled a hit. Norton then struck out Carlier and Aukes to end the inning. But Pioneer had tied the contest and took the field for the eighth inning, relieved and rejuvenated. Woodland Christian went down quietly as Aukes fired lightning bolts from the portside. 

In Pioneer’s home half, Norton regained control by getting two quick outs. Then the Patriot’s number nine hitter junior Colton Gunter inspired hope with a single. He went to second on a wild pitch, and advanced to third base on a Vidales single. On the first pitch, Vidales took off for second, perhaps hoping to draw a throw. Instead, Woodland Christian’s catcher Maszk tried to pick off Gunter who was charging back to third base. The throw sailed into left field, and with it WC’s hope of toppling Goliath, as Gunter scampered home with the winning run. 

Pioneer Patriots had rallied from a five-run deficit to pad their overall record to 14-6. They are 7-2 in the Tri-County League, one game behind Yuba City, which took two out of three games from the Patriots recently. 

Pioneer Coach Kevin Galart has the Division III Section playoffs on the horizon. But he may want to think twice before scheduling Woodland Christian again. 

At least until the Cardinals’ Anthony Castaneda is pitching at the next level. 

#  #  #  #

For more on the history of Clark Field in Woodland, visit this Davis Enterprise report.

To read the Bill Patterson’s story about Aukes in the Sacramento Bee, go here. 

4/06/13

Prepsters

Whitney 7, El Camino 2

JR Robinson went three for four and drove in two runs to lead Whitney to a 7-2 win over El Camino today. Robinson pitched six innings to earn the win.

Whitney, now 16-0, remains the only undefeated team in the area. At 4-0, the Wildcats sit atop the Capital League (Division III) standings.

McClatchy 5, Rosemont 4

The McClatchy Lions, down 4-1, roared back to score three runs to tie in the seventh inning, then plated the winning run in the eighth inning to defeat Rosemont 5-4 this afternoon. With the victory, McClatchy (5-0) takes a one game lead over Rosemont in the Metro League (Division II) standings.

4/03/13

High School News

McClatchy topped Kennedy today 5-3, as senior shortstop Eddie Sievers went 2x4 including the game winning hit that drove in two runs in the sixth inning. Sievers had 3 runs batted in on the day. Jorge Perez and Anthony Montes helped the Lions' cause with each one going 3x4.

Pleasant Grove pitcher Josh Adams scattered seven hits over six innings.

Dom Nunez of Elk Grove (above) hammered the ball all day.
On this one, he drove the right fielder to the 375' sign on a fly out.

3/25/13

Eight games were held on the first day of the inaugural Boras High School Baseball Classic Invitational at McAuliffe Park in Sacramento.

A pair of groves--Elk Grove and Pleasant Grove--won both contests to advance in their winner's bracket today.

For all the scores and schedule of upcoming games, go to the Classic.

Pleasant Grove Takes Two

Pleasant Grove swept the afternoon and evening contest in the first round of the Boras Classic today, defeating Rodriguez 4-1, then Deer Valley 4-2.

The Eagles junior pitcher Matt Stafford (below) shows the form that dominated in the afternoon contest.

Elk Grove Wins Pair to Advance in Winner's Bracket

3/23/13

High School Stat Leaders for week ending 3/22/13

Devon Loomis a senior at Colfax High leads all area hitters with a .650 batting average. In all, six players are batting .600 or greater in the early high school season, and 30 are hitting at a .500 clip or better.

Senior J.R. Robinson, Whitney High senior, leads all batters with 17 runs batted in. Tyler Love, a junior at Argonaut, has jumped out to a wide lead in the stolen base category with 14 steals.

Six pitchers have started the season with a percect 3-0 mark. Sophomore Kirk Crump is the strikeout leader with 40. Although he has four of the six losses at Sacramento High, hitters are batting just .233 against him.

For the complete list of stat leaders for the week, go to High School.

3/18/13

The Boras Classic

Each Easter several of the top high school baseball programs hit the road to play in some of the most prestigious and competitive tournaments held through the state. This year—thanks to one of the prominent figures on the baseball landscape—some will play right here in the Sacramento area in a tournament that could live up to its name.

The inaugural Boras High School Baseball Classic of California Invitational will feature 32 of the best baseball programs throughout California. Sixteen teams in the Northern California bracket will begin play at McAuliffe Park on March 25 with Elk Grove High serving as the host school. Each school is guaranteed to play four games.

On March 28, the finalists will play at Sacramento State’s John Smith Field; the 3^rd place game is slated for noon and the NorCal Championship will be played 4 p.m. The southern bracket will begin the following week.

Winners of the northern and southern California brackets will meet April 13 at noon at University of the Pacific (UOP) in the inaugural Boras Baseball Classic Championship, which will be televised by FOX College Sports.

Boras, of course, is the famous super agent Scott Boras, who played baseball at and graduated from Elk Grove High and UOP. Boras Foundation is picking up the tab for the all the schools, plus it will donate $1,000 to each of the high school baseball programs participating in the Classic.

“It’s been Scott’s idea to put this together for many years, and it’s his way of giving back to high school baseball,” said Gerry Boras, Scott’s younger brother who as the event coordinator is employed with Boras Marketing at the company headquarters in Newport Beach.

The Boras company is heavily promoting the tournament to both college programs and area scouts in hope of “giving these boys the exposure that will help them with recruitment, either to college or a pro career,” Gerry Boras said. Pending the success of the California tournament, they’re hoping to roll it out in other states as well.

Jeff Carlson, head coach at Elk Grove High, concedes the opportunity to serve as the tournament’s host school is somewhat bittersweet. Whereas, he’s excited to showcase his state-ranked program—led by Dom Nunez and Rowdy Tellez—in their backyard, it also means the Thundering Herd will not travel southward as they’ve done every year since Carlson joined the coaching staff 15 years ago. “We’re going to miss that trip," Carlson notes. "It’s a great tournament (San Diego Lions Tourney) and it was awesome going on the road and playing in that great weather in San Diego.”

Carlson personally selected all but one of the 16 teams in the Northern California bracket. He admits “we got a late jump on it, so a number of teams we talked with had other commitments” and couldn’t join them this year. Still, he’s enlisted some top teams from the Sacramento area (Oak Ridge, Pleasant Grove and Rocklin High among others), plus they've recruited powerhouse programs from Bakersfield, Clovis and the Bay Area.

Also, several Bay Area private schools that had previous commitments this year said they’ll be playing in next year’s Boras Classic, anticipating that it will become one of the state's premier tournaments. Which should elevate the competition level even more.

Cost for the NorCal Boras Classic which runs Mar. 25-28 are as follows:
$5.00 for an all day pass for kids 12 and under and seniors
$7.00 for an all day adult pass and
$20.00 for a 4 day pass.
Cash, debit, VISA and Mastercard will be accepted at the gate. Also, expect a parking fee at McAuliffe Field.

For a complete list of the schools and the schedule of games, visit BorasClassic.com.

2/13/13

Tellez Tabbed for Pre-Season All-American by MaxPreps

Senior slugger Ryan "Rowdy" Tellez was selected by Max Preps to its preseason All-American team last month.

Last year, Tellez hit .568 with seven home runs and 47 runs batted. He was picked the area's Most Valuable Player by BaseballSacramento.com and Sacramento Bee.

Cal-Hi Sports has slotted Tellez and his Elk Grove teammates in the #10 spot in their preseason State Rankings. Last year, the Herd finished 20-9.

Joining Tellez for his fourth varsity season is Dom Nunez who batted .429 with 28 runs batted in. Senior David Smith, who finished 6-0 with a 1.03 ERA, leads the pitching staff.