Mission Bay High was part of the first prep baseball series played on the perfect turf of the Padres’ Petco Park downtown Friday, April 12. In the final matchup of five prep games, the Bucs pulled out a 4-3 win over the Centurions with a most dramatic finale.
“We got a few great plays when we needed them,” said head coach Greg Farrar. “That was about as exciting as baseball gets.”
The Bucs defeated University City April 9 with a 10th-inning hit to close out the 3-2 battle with a walk-off RBI by Evan Taylor.
The rubber match between the two Western League rivals was just as close.
Mission Bay gave up a run in the first inning when first baseman Francisco Valdez was unable to dig out a throw in the dirt that allowed a UC run to score. But the Bucs answered in the top of the second when designated hitter Robert Phiakeo drove in Mario Arellano with a double to the gap.
The middle innings of the game were dominated by the pitchers, while just one run was scored by UC in the fourth. Buccaneers pitcher Jesse Moore stayed ahead of his batters while striking out the final batter in three of the first four innings.
In the sixth inning the Bucs cut loose. When the Centurions replaced their pitcher, the first three Bucs produced singles to load the bases with no outs. Brian Sagun and Robbie Santos earned hits, while Nick Croce laid down a clean-enough bunt that the UC pitcher had to hold it.
The Bucs’ second run came as Arellano belted a drive to deep right that earned a sacrifice fly RBI.
Then freshman football standout Dillon Baxter showed his great athletic abilities when he delivered a two-RBI double under pressure. Known for his great speed, Baxter used his even more remarkable hands to push in two runs that gave the Bucs a 4-2 lead.
“Dillon has it in him to be a good hitter,” Farrar said. “He got a pitch he could handle and gave us the winning RBIs.”
In the sixth inning Moore worked out of a two-on with no-outs situation to retire UC. Then in the seventh, he still seemed in control. Two outs went up on the board in the last inning, and it looked like the Bucs 2-run lead might hold up.
But a passed ball and a hit batter led to the Centurions’ big designated hitter striding to the plate ” potentially the winning run. Moore walked him on a full count.
After 6 and two-thirds innings Farrar had to pull Moore and send in one of his other top pitchers, Valdez.
One pitch by Valdez and a hot grounder was slapped between first and second base. Buccaneer right fielder Eric Espinosa charged the ball and scooped it up cleanly. A UC runner crossed the plate, while their coach signaled another runner to go for the tying run.
Sophomore Espinsoa fired a strike from shallow right field to senior catcher Croce, who was perfectly positioned to block the plate ” the slide collided with his shins a foot from the plate while the tag slapped the UC runner’s leg for the final out.
A delicious piece of baseball for the Bucs and a respectable performance by the Centurions, and five bucks well-spent by the fans who saw the game.
Santos went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Freshman DH Phiakeo provided two hits and a sacrifice bunt. In an unusual move, Farrar bats his DH in the No. 8 slot.
“We had some preseason injuries, so I brought up some freshmen ” they’ve filled in nicely,” Farrar said.
The Bucs improved to 13-7 (2-0), while UC went to 7-9 (0-2).
The Bucs next travel to Clairemont Friday, April 18, then host the Chieftains April 23 at 3 p.m.
Mission Bay will host Point Loma Friday, May 2.
Mission Bay baseball information is available from Farrar at (858) 273-1313 ext. 353.