Friday night ended in utter jubilation for the Turlock Christian baseball team and absolute heartbreak for neighboring Denair after the two programs battled for nearly three hours under the lights of Pedretti Park in the quarterfinal round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII playoffs.
Playing hero for the No. 2 Eagles was senior Blake Starn, who just two innings after giving his team its first lead of the game with a two-run double, smacked a one-out single through the left side of the infield against Denair reliever Tommy Lundquist to plate Max Salas and walk off the No. 7 Coyotes by a 7-6 score.
The Eagles (15-3) will advance to play No. 6 Big Valley Christian (10-17) in a best-of-three semifinal series that will begin Wednesday back at the Pedretti complex.
“It feels good,” Starn said of his game-winning hit. “I was just thinking to put the ball in play and good things will happen, we’ll see where it goes. It turned out great.”
Trailing 5-2 entering the home half of the sixth and facing starter Noah Lundquist, Salas worked a bases loaded walk and senior Jake Dein was hit by a pitch to make it a one-run deficit with Starn coming to the plate. The right-hander delivered with a ground ball single to right field that scored two runs and gave the Eagles a 6-5 lead.
“Blake is playing like his hair's on fire, which happens to seniors a lot,” said TC skipper Bill York. “Once you get towards the end of the season, you realize that the door is closing on your career. It could come at any time. Blake is one of the guys leaving it out there on the field and willing to make things happen. I’m super proud of him.
The Coyotes tied the game in the top of the seventh when a throw down to third by catcher Michael Miller sailed wide and into the outfield to allow Noah Lundquist to score. At that point, the game was being played under protest by TC for what they believed to be brother Tommy Lundquist pitching in relief while ineligible due to throwing 78 pitches on Wednesday, which would require at least three days rest. Lundquist pitched a clean sixth inning before taking the loss with the run surrendered in the seventh.
Earning the win for TC was ace Cam Kelley. The junior right-hander struggled with command early, giving up three runs on two singles, a hit batter and seeing an error recorded behind him. An RBI triple from Noah Lundquist and an RBI single by senior Valente Rosales put the Eagles in a 5-0 hole before Kelly buckled down and his offense began chipping away.
Dein scored TC’s first run in the second inning, reaching base on a single and eventually advancing home on an error. Kelley then helped his own cause in the third frame with a fielder’s choice to bring home Miller from third.
Kelley’s curveball came alive as the game went on, helping him rack up 13 strikeouts in six innings of work. Only two of the five runs charged to him were earned. He gave up six hits and two walks on the night.
“Early on, pitches just weren't going my way,” Kelley said. “I left a couple pitches over the plate, and we just weren't playing great baseball. But I just threw in extra pitches in between innings. I trusted my stuff, and I knew eventually I'd turn it around and start locating.”
Junior Winston York pitched the final inning for the Eagles, striking out the final batter to send his team to the bottom of the seventh with momentum.
“We had a lead. It might have been a small lead, but I had to stay confident in myself and my defense,” York said. “Even though we gave up a run, we came back and we ended up winning. We're a good hitting team. We've been hitting well all year. I think it was just inevitable that we were going to score.”
The Eagles’ electric offense was on full display in Wednesday's playoff opener, as they demolished No. 15 Esparto by a 28-0 score in five innings. It was a game that was lopsided from the jump, with TC scoring 12 runs in the first inning and its other 16 runs in the third inning. Starn led the way with five hits and five RBI. Miller, Dein and York followed with four hits apiece. York drove in five runs while Miller and Dein each plated three.
The Coyotes, meanwhile, took down No. 10 Delta Charter (Tracy), 12-2, also in five frames. Denair’s offense was also good, with senior Brayden Hart nabbing three hits and driving in four. Junior Maddox Silva drove in another two runs on two hits. On the mound, Tommy Lundquist allowed the two earned runs on just one hit and two walks, punching out eight in the process.
Local TVL teams eliminated
Hughson and Hilmar each saw their seasons come to a close on Friday with quarterfinal losses in their respective divisions.
The No. 11 Huskies were shut out 3-0 to No. 3 Sutter in their second game of the Division V bracket. It came as last year’s section title runner-up staged an upset in Galt two days prior, taking down No. 6 Liberty Ranch by a 6-1 score.
In Wednesday’s win, Hughson received a dominant pitching performance from senior Isaac Lupercio, who allowed one run and struck out seven over his complete game effort.
The game remained scoreless until the fourth inning, when freshman Tanner Ehlers knocked an RBI single to right field to score Zayne Costa and Logan Ramirez advanced home on an errant throw.
Senior Benji Ocegueda doubled home the third run in the fifth inning. Ocegueda later came around to score on a passed ball. Two more insurance runs were scored in the sixth off a two-run double by senior Tate Silveira.
As for Hilmar, the 11th seed in Division VI, one of the bigger upsets across any bracket was pulled off Wednesday, taking down No. 6 Summerville in Tuolumne by an 11-8 score. The Yellowjackets were also blanked, 2-0, by Bear River (Grass Valley).
The Yellowjackets took command early Wednesday with an RBI single by sophomore Alec Machado. Senior Jacob Sward, who had missed time earlier this year with a hamstring injury, made the most of his opportunities on the basepaths, stealing home two batters later. Junior Caleb “Stuey” Contreras added a third run in the second inning with an RBI groundout.
After a two-run home run by Summerville’s Kane Hall off of senior starter Xavier Silveira, Hilmar exploded for six runs in the fifth inning. The ‘Jackets received RBI hits from Machado, Contreras, Junior Solis as well as a bases-loaded walk by Drake DeCosta and a fielder’s choice from John Lopez.
Silveira encountered trouble in the sixth inning, surrendering a three-run home run to Luke Larson and departed the mound with the bases loaded. Junior Cohen Felber came on in relief and allowed the three inherited runners to score on a double by Tyler Karpus. In the top of the seventh, Machado drove in his third run of the game for important insurance. Felber proceeded to close the door on the Bruins with a strikeout.
