Sequoia defeated Monta Vista 5-1 on Saturday in a CCS Division I game.
The game was stagnant at the beginning with both teams showing signs of jitters on the big stage. However, the Matadors were finally able to put something together.
With two outs in the top of the fourth inning, sophomore Brendan Hughes got his second hit of the day with a hard single to right field. After stealing second base, he was singled home by Ryan Granzella, breaking the scoreless tie.
“We were definitely the underdogs coming into the game, so we had that edge in a game that we’re not supposed to win,” senior Sam Nastari said. “That got our momentum going and we played some solid defense and got one run across the board and that’s all it took to get the momentum to shift because once the momentum shifted, it was all on one side.”
With junior Surya Kumaraguru having absolute command on the mound and the Matador defense committing no errors, it looked like the Matadors would sneak their way into the CCS Division I semifinals as the game headed into the bottom of the sixth inning.
However, the game took an unfortunate turn for Monta Vista when a Sequoia runner sped home for a close play at the plate. Nastari caught a throw home on the bounce and attempted to make the tag as the runner dived for the plate.
“I thought he was for sure out, but the ump called him safe,” Nastari said. “And I was like ‘Oh no. Even though that’s only one run, it’s a huge momentum shifter. To have the 1-0 lead, to have the momentum, was great and then once they brought it back to 1-1, all the momentum shifted to their side and that's how they got back to back hits and it kind of got into our heads and we thought, ‘Oh my gosh, now it’s a possibility for us to lose out there.’’’
Said Kumaraguru: “To be honest, I didn’t think we had a chance, but it was unbelievable how fast Andrew (Ding) and Tim (Iwamoto) completed the relay. So as soon as I saw how quick they got it done, I actually thought he was out because if Sam reacted like that, you knew he was out. And going with the reaction of other people, our coach coming out to argue, you know we probably had him.”
Sophomore Matt Casey of the Cherokees (19-11), who was in the dugout during this play, said that he and the rest of the team saw it as safe without question.
The next batter for the Cherokees hit a slow grounder towards the shortstop. Senior Timothy Iwamoto tried to get the runner out at third but a dive and cloud of dust later, he was called safe. This put the Matadors in a hole because there were now runners on first and third with nobody out.
One more ground ball was hit, this time towards Hughes. Trying to get the runner at home, he threw a one-hopper but it took a high bounce over Nastari’s head, allowing the runner to easily score and help the Cherokees the get their first lead of the game.
After a strikeout and an intentional walk, the bases were loaded for the Cherokees. Another routine ground ball was fielded and thrown away by senior Kevin Nordby past the first basemen Granzella and into the outfield, allowing the bases to be cleared, putting the Cherokees up 5-1.
Finally, the Matadors (18-11) were able to get out of the inning but it did not matter, as they could not even manage a hit in the top of seventh inning.
“When you get to the quarterfinals of the CCS Division I playoffs, (you) have to be perfect the whole way through,” Matador coach Nick Bonacorsi said. “So it was the errors that killed us today. It’s hard once you get into a position like that against a team that has also made into the quarterfinals. It’s hard to stop that bleeding. It got us today in one half inning, sent us home. So that’s baseball.”
Sequoia will now meet Pioneer at 4 p.m. Thursday at San Mateo Municipal Stadium in the semifinals.
