The Joe DiMaggio and American Legion baseball seasons for locals annually end in the heat of Sonoma County with state tournaments.
In DiMaggio ball for players 19-and-under, the Pacifica Gamecocks have already claimed a state title, defeating Tri-County 8-1 Tuesday at Justin-Siena High.
When the heat was turned up the highest for Pacifica, it was Hammer time – as in left-handed pitcher Brett Berghammer, the former Half Moon Bay High star.
Talk about “2 Legit 2 Quit” – my apologies to MC Hammer – Berghammer lit it up in Sonoma County, winning two games on the mound over a three-day period. Included was an 8-1 victory against Tri-County on Tuesday to secure the title for Pacifica.
Berghammer pitched six innings and allowed just one run on three hits to stymie Tri-County. He was pitching on just two day’s rest after a complete-game win on Saturday. The consecutive gems earned the Skyline College standout the tournament Most Valuable Player award.
Said Berghammer of his title-game effort: “I felt confident because I had pitched against Tri-County earlier in the year and did pretty well. I just focused on throwing strikes and letting my defense do the work behind me.”
Berghammeer, diminutive at 5-foot-7, used a four-seam fastball, curve and circle change to shut down his opponents.
His effort didn’t surprise Philip Caulfield, his Skyline College teammate.
“He’s a very scrappy, competitive guy,” Caulfield said. “He doesn’t like to lose and is one of the most competitive guys I’ve ever played with or against.”
Despite his success on the mound last week, Berghammer says outfield is his position.
“I don’t think of myself as a pitcher on the college level,” he said. “I’m just a guy who plays my position and gets his AB’s in.”
Berghammer has good genes. His father played high school ball in New York and his uncle and great-great grandfather were star players.
He showed his ability as a prep, making all-league four times as a varsity player at HMB, including hitting .555 with two home runs as a junior and .450 as a junior.
Against Tri-County, Pacifica fell behind 1-0 in the first inning. But Pacifica scored seven runs in the fourth inning, helped by four Tri-County errors. Jacob Martinez also had a solo home run in the frame and Austin Youngdale and Robert Thorgeson had two-run singles.
The Gamecocks were also paced throughout the season by left fielder Martinez from Canada College and pitcher Ray Falk and third baseman Youngdale, Terra Nova grads who will join Berghammer at Skyline College in the fall.
The state title was the fifth for Pacifica, with others coming in 2006, 2004, 1983 and 1970. The ’70 team coached by the late Carl Vallero – known as Lou’s 66 -- was led by left-hander Bob McClure, the Terra Nova High grad who had a long career in the major leagues.
Meantime the San Mateo American Legion Post 82 Shockers are also hoping to achieve glory in Sonoma County. The Shockers began Legion state tournament play for players 19-and-under at 9 a.m. this morning at Cleve Borman Field in Yountville against Edison of Huntington Beach.
It’s been a complicated, rut-strewn journey for the Shockers to reach Yountville after they were told late last week they were out of the tourney for not turning insurance paperwork in on time. But by Monday at 5 p.m. San Mateo had successfully appealed the decision based on gotten back in the tournament. Shocker assistant coach Rick Lavezzo described the problems as a computer glitch that was not San Mateo’s fault.
“It’s the way it should be,” Lavezzo said of the reinstatement. “We’ve played all summer to get to this and to not have been able to play because of an administrative thing is ridiculous.”
Said star San Mateo third baseman Angelo Bortolin: “I’m excited. I think we should have a good chance (to win state).”
BYWATER TAKES OVER AT CONCORD: There is some rather stunning news out of the East Bay as Brian Hamilton is leaving the head football coaching job at Concord High to take a job at Cal as the offensive quality control coach. This information comes from Prep2Prep’s Nate Smith who was told early this morning by Concord defensive coordinator Randy Coddington.
In turn, Mark Bywater is taking over as the coach at Concord and the rest of the Concord staff is staying the same, said Coddington.
“I’m just so proud of Brian for the great job building the program that he did,” Coddington said.
Hamilton's team went 1-9 in 2004 and did not manage a winning season until 2008 when the Minutemen went 7-3-1. Since then, they have gone 68-21-1, highlighted by a 13-1 record in 2010. The Minutemen went 12-2 last season.
Concord won the 2010 NCS title under Hamilton and made it two section title game twice since then.
NEW CONCORD TRACK COACH: Also at Concord, Jerry Redmond has been named the new Minutemen track and field coach. He graduated from Elkhart Memorial in 1987 where he participated in cross country, basketball and track, earning 10 letters along the way. He was named the school's top male athlete as a senior and still holds records at the school in basketball and track. Redmond graduated from St. Joseph's College where he was a three-sport athlete.
Redmond was an assistant girls' basketball coach at Concord for four years and the interim girls' basketball coach in 2011-2012. In track, he has been an assistant coach since 2009.
TN TURNOVER: Joey Gentile is out as the baseball coach at Terra Nova and the school will be seeking a new coach.
Said Terra Nova principal Dorene Bausino via email: ‘’We have not posted the position yet. We probably won’t post until end of August or early September.”
Briefly: Serra rising senior basketball star Jake Killingsworth will visit Columbia next month, reports Doug Benton of rivals.com … St. Francis rising senior pitcher Andrew Martinez has committed to UC-Santa Barbara … Former Sacred Heart Cathedral and City College of San Francisco quarterback Jerry Peralta has signed with Fairmont State … Symone Mackiewicz /is the new girls' volleyball coach at Terra Nova.
