SAN JOSE — Tanner Kern was Archbishop Mitty’s last hope when he stepped into the batter’s box with two outs in extra innings Friday, his team trailing by a run on a blustery and cool spring afternoon.
It certainly was not a time for the faint of heart, on either side, as the tying run stood at third, the winning run at second.
At the plate was the left-handed-hitting Kern, who had just 10 plate appearances this season, the most recent as a pinch hitter an inning earlier.
“I was just trying to help my team in the best way,” Kern said. “It just came out well. I just stuck with the Mitty approach and just did what I did.”
What the junior did was hit a flyball toward the alley in left-center that dropped in for a double, knocking in both runners to lift Mitty — ranked No. 1 by the Bay Area News Group — to a 3-2, eight-inning victory over fourth-ranked Bellarmine in West Catholic Athletic League play.
Mitty players spilled out of the dugout and onto the field to celebrate Kern’s moment, a cherished hit that kept the Monarchs unbeaten in the league standings.
“I was looking and I was very excited,” Kern said when asked if he saw the outfielders chasing after the ball. “I was just excited to celebrate with my team. That was a great moment.”
On a day when Mitty left-hander Luka Pintar came within two outs of a complete game shutout, the home team still found a way to prevail after Bellarmine (7-2-1, 3-1) evened the score in the seventh when Chase Knight was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and went ahead in the eighth on a run-scoring double by Nate Escalada.
Mitty’s rally began when Alijah Ramos walked to open the home half of the eighth. Matteo Blandino followed with a single to left. After a strikeout, Luka Brocilo put down a bunt that rolled up the third-base line.
Though Brocilo was thrown out at first, Mitty coach Brian Yocke called the bunt huge because it changed the way in which Bellarmine aligned its outfield. Instead of playing deep, the defenders had to move up in case of a play at the plate.
That gave Kern more space to operate and he delivered.
“Incredible game,” Yocke said. “Well-pitched game. Very few mistakes for a high school game.”
Mitty was without its top hitter, center fielder Danny Scudero, who injured a shoulder diving for a ball and is still undergoing testing, according to Yocke.
“He’s a huge part of our program, but everyone believes in the next guy just as much, which is special,” the coach added.
Jarren Advincula’s bloop single to center drove in Mitty’s first run, in the third inning. He and Ronan Gilmore each had two hits for the Monarchs (10-1, 5-0).
Bellarmine starter Wade Mountz allowed one unearned run in five innings. Ishaan Khambal pitched the rest of the way for the visitors, who entered the game without a league loss.
Escalada had two hits for the Bells, who also got doubles from Chris Rudell and Caden Sta Maria.
“The kids played well; they showed heart,” Bellarmine coach Nate Sutton said. “I’ll take the blame. We didn’t do a very good job positioning (the outfield) on that last play. The kids did everything they could. I am proud of the boys. It’s baseball. You move on.”
No. 2 De La Salle 12, No. 6 Foothill 1
Tanner Griffith went 3 for 4 with two doubles and a home run and scored three times to lead De La Salle, playing at home in Concord, to a rout of Foothill in East Bay Athletic League play.
Connor Harrison added a double and drove in two runs and Jack Harper and Lorenzo Solares also doubled for the Spartans, who improved to 6-1, 2-0.
Tyler Zocchi, Cal Randall and Jack Karst combined to strike out nine Foothill batters.
The Falcons fell to 6-3, 2-2.
No. 3 Valley Christian 10, No. 10 St. Ignatius 1
PJ Moutzouridis had two doubles and drove in four runs and Michael Castaneda pitched five scoreless innings with six strikeouts to lead Valley Christian to a one-sided victory on the road over St. Ignatius in WCAL play.
Valley Christian built a 4-0 lead after two innings and put the score out of reach with six runs in the fifth as the Warriors improved to 10-1, 5-0.
SI is 8-2, 2-1.
Source: www.mercurynews.com