SAN JOSE – The Archbishop Mitty baseball team was, simultaneously, one out from advancing to the Central Coast Section Division I title game and one good Valley Christian swing from blowing a five-run lead.
Needing a big play to close out what would end up being a 7-5 victory at Excite Ballpark, the Monarchs asked their do-everything senior Nico Rodriguez to get the final out.
With the bases loaded, Rodriguez hurled a hard righthanded pitch that induced a ground ball. Mitty’s shortstop Waylon Walsh flipped the ball to second baseman Mason Manglicmot for the final out.
Celebrations ensued.
“We’ve had some rough losses against this team the last couple of years, so we were hungry for the win today,” Rodriguez said. “”Everybody did their jobs, and we played pretty baseball today. This is what you get when you play pretty baseball.
Archbishop Mitty, which improved to 18-12-1, will return to Excite Ballpark on Saturday to take on another West Catholic Athletic League opponent, St. Ignatius, for the Division I title.
Valley Christian, seeking a 12th section title and second consecutive Division I championship, rode a five-game winning streak going into the matchup with Mitty. Top-seeded Valley blanked Saint Francis 7-0 in its first-round matchup, and the Monarchs run-ruled Burlingame 12-1 in their opening round matchup.
Playing in a stadium that the San Francisco Giants’ Single-A team call home and the place Valley captured the title a year ago, longtime coach John Diatte’s players looked surprisingly jittery in what should have been a familiar setting.
After Mitty’s Rodriguez and Tanner Kern got on via a single and walk, senior Makoa Sniffen laid down what should have been a sacrifice bunt.
That out turned into an error-addled inside the park home run when the Valley Christian Infield and outfield combined to airmail a few throws as Sniffen sped around the diamond and cleared the bases, saddling WCAL pitcher of the year Kole Laubach with three unearned runs.
“I beat out the throw, and chaos happened after that,” Sniffen said, adding, “We knew we could beat them, and I said before the game that the wolf climbing the hill is hungrier than the wolf at the top. We were hungry.”
Valley Christian’s Diatte could only shake his head when recalling the disastrous first inning.
“We just didn’t play the game right,” said Diatte, whose team still advances to NorCal play despite the loss. “If you don’t play the game right, then those kinds of things happen.”
Mitty, who got a solid pitching performance from Carson Seeger, held onto that 3-0 lead until the bottom of the third inning, when Valley Christian’s Jordan Ortiz drove in Brock Ketelsen on a sacrifice fly.
Mitty’s Rodriguez, who went 4-4, drove in a run in the top of the fourth. After Valley’s Rocco Muccilli sacrifice flied in a run to make it 4-2, Mitty immediately responded in the top of the fifth.
Freshman Derek Allen laced a ball into center field to drive in two and extend Monarchs lead to 6-2. Mitty added one more run in the top of the sixth to make it 7-2 before Valley Christian embarked on its comeback.
Tanner Jones drove in one run, and Luke Osuna-Summers lined a ball into left to score another teammate. After the Monarchs made a pitching change, a wild pitch got Muccilli in from third to cut the deficit to two runs.
“We felt like we were missing with good pitches, but they kept taking a breath and getting right back up there and pounding the zone,” Mitty coach Brian Yocke said. “I’m proud of that.”
Mitty had an opportunity to pad its lead in the top of the seventh when the Monarchs loaded the bases, but Valley reliever Rohan Kasanagottu worked his way out of the jam.
Coming in relief, lefty ace Luka Pintar hit brothers Tatum and Quinten Marsh to lead off the inning, but he rebounded by getting a popup to the catcher.
“He pitched on sheer guts,” said Yocke, who expects Pintar to pitch during Saturday’s title game.
Rodriguez walked the first batter, but blew a pitch past the second to get the second out. After he got the third out, he jumped in the air in joy.
But just a few moments after those celebrations, Rodriguez was already focused on capturing Saturday’s title.
“We’re going to reset, and we’re going to get back to the basics,” Rodriguez said.
