Last year, Heritage senior Jacob Jackson was handed the ball for his first varsity start in a North Coast Section Division I quarterfinal playoff game, and responded with five and one-third shutout innings as the Patriots blanked Berkeley to advance to the semifinals for the second straight season. On Friday afternoon, Jackson took the ball in another post-season game, and kept his scoreless streak intact, as Heritage made it three straight trips to the section semifinals with a 3-0 win over Clayton Valley.
The senior starter carried considerable more experience into this match-up, after serving as the team’s second pitcher all season long. And on Friday, he used his typically composed demeanor to keep the visiting Eagles in check, allowing just five hits while striking out five in six and one-third innings. Fellow senior Bryson Kinnick, who earned the win over Liberty in Tuesday’s first round game, needed just five pitches for the final two outs of the game.
“I just try to go out there and mix up my pitches and keep the opposing hitters off balance,” said Jackson, who is well-known for his reserved and under-stated approach. “As it got late in the game, I knew all we needed was one run for us to finish it off with a win.”
That one run did not come until the bottom of the sixth inning, as Jackson was matched on the mound by Clayton Valley sophomore Joey Soberon, who allowed just two hits and needed just 71 pitches in his six innings, not allowing a hit in the first four innings. After getting two runners on with no outs in the bottom of the fifth, and having nothing to show for it, the Patriots got started again in the bottom of the sixth, this time when Aidan Quinn was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning.
“I knew that I needed to get on base, because if I did, then the top of the lineup would find a way to get me in,” Quinn said. “And once I got on, I just knew I couldn’t get picked off, because if I did, then it’s probably a whole different ball game.”
Soberon did make one pickoff attempt during Ryan Jackson’s at-bat, and Quinn’s speed affected the next play, when Jackson’s ground ball to third resulted in both runners being safe, as Clayton Valley was unable to get the lead runner. Chaz Myers then laid down what appeared to be a sacrifice bunt, but the Eagles did not go to first with the throw, and all runners were safe, loading the bases with no outs.
Oscar Murray then hit a hard grounder to second base, which resulted in an out at second, but Quinn scored the go-ahead run, and Heritage kept the inning going with runners on the corners and one out. Murray advanced to second on Stephen Murphy’s ground out to shortstop, and after Keith Jones was intentionally walked, Jeff Heinrich then came through with a huge two-out single to left field, scoring both Jackson and Murray for the 3-0 lead.
Jacob Jackson allowed a pair of singles, sandwiched around the first out of the seventh inning, which prompted the move to Kinnick, who had thrown five innings on Tuesday. Kinnick ended the game with a pop-up and ground ball, enabling the BVAL champions to move on, where they will face top seed De La Salle in the semifinals. The Spartans defeated San Ramon Valley 12-2 in their quarterfinal game.
Freedom stuns Amador Valley for upset win
Freedom’s team speed came into play again on Friday in a quarterfinal match-up against Amador Valley. In the top of the eighth inning, Ryan McKinley led off with a single and promptly stole second base. Nick Quesada’s sacrifice bunt then advanced McKinley to third base with one out, which allowed Jacob Bartlett’s squeeze bunt to score McKinley with the go-ahead run.
Two batters later, after Bartlett was sacrificed to second, Kyren Paris doubled to left field for the 3-1 lead, which would wind up being the final score as the 14-seed Falcons pulled off the second straight upset to advance to the Division I semifinals, where they face two-seed Foothill.
Freedom took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, when Dario Gomez singled to score Paris, but Amador Valley tied the game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, when Max Heverly singled to score George Briggs, who had advanced to second on a dropped third strike. Relief pitcher Chester Kniss escaped the seventh without any further damage, however, getting Nick Proctor to fly out for the final out of the inning, which set the stage for the Falcons’ extra-inning heroics.
Kniss allowed a lone single in the bottom of the eighth to earn the victory, after sophomore starter Andrew Neil had gone six and two-thirds innings, allowing just four hits with seven strikeouts before reaching the maximum 110 pitches.
Mitch Benson struck out seven batters for Amador Valley, and allowed just three hits. Gomez had two hits for Freedom, while Michael Wiborn had two hits for the Dons.
Around the NCS playoffs
Ryan Costeiu struck out seven and allowed just two hits, while Nick Cirelli went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI to pace a dominating 12-2 win for De La Salle against San Ramon Valley in the Division I quarterfinals. Taison Corio and Chris Santiago added two hits each for the Spartans, who will host Heritage in the semifinals.
Chandler Giles struck out seven and allowed just two hits, as Kennedy-Fremont downed Encinal 9-1 in the Division III quarterfinals. Sophomore Darren Parry went 3-for-4 with two RBI to pace the Titans’ offense. Kennedy will face two-seed Campolindo in the semifinals, after the Cougars beat St. Joseph Notre Dame, 6-0.
Athenian scored five times in the top of the ninth inning to oust Fremont Christian, 7-2, in the Division V quarterfinals. The Owls will now face top seed St. Vincent de Paul, who beat Ferndale, 6-2, behind a five-hit effort on the mound from ace Ethan Rapoport, who along with Gio Antonini each had two hits in the game.
