PETALUMA, Calif. - St. Vincent de Paul defeated visiting Sonoma Academy 12-11 in a high-scoring tumble in Petaluma last Wednesday.
Following two quick outs to start the bottom of the fifth, Taiki Belway roped a fastball into the left-centerfield gap, earning himself a triple. However, the throw into third base was wide left, and Belway scored, giving the Mustangs an 11-7 lead. One more run was scored in the inning giving them a 12-7 lead entering the final inning. The game lasted only six innings due to lack of daylight.
St. Vincent de Paul head coach Spencer Finkbohner was very pleased with his team's Opening Day win.
“Anytime you can get a win on your home turf in the first game of the year is special. It’s the monkey off of your back,” Finkbohner said. “Now we can just go out and play ball and have fun. Taiki Belway hit that inside the parker, very special. Not something you see every day.”
Sophomore Josh Malik got the start and did not disappoint, pitching a 1-2-3 first inning in his first high school start.
Facing Sonoma Academy senior pitcher Ben Weaver, the Mustang bats were flying in the bottom half of the inning. Belway hit a double and reached third on an error. This allowed sophomore Nico Antonini to easily score. In the very next at-bat, senior Dante Antonini hit a deep sacrifice fly, scoring Belway to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead after one inning.
Malik was dealing in the top half of the second, striking out two batters. He did not allow a hit in his two innings pitched. Malik was pulled after the second inning due to shoulder soreness.
In the bottom of the second, it was more of the same. With the bases loaded, Nico Antonini hit a single to score senior Carter Payte and make the score 3-0. With two outs, Dante Antonini hit a single, which scored Nico Antonini and senior Liam O’Hare to increase the lead to 5-0.
Senior Ryan Hughes took the mound for the Mustangs in the third. However, Sonoma Academy got two runs off him and loaded the bases and senior Dominic Minton took over. A wild pitch caused a run to score for the Coyotes, cutting the Mustang lead to 5-3, but Minton was able to get out of the inning with no more damage.
After three walks and only one out recorded in the bottom of the third, the bases were loaded for sophomore Jack Davis. He singled, scoring DeCarli which extended the lead to 6-3. Nico Antonini then hit into a fielder’s choice. However, an error allowed two runs to score for the Mustangs, giving them an 8-3 lead heading into the fourth inning.
Minton remained the pitcher for the Mustangs in the fourth. He allowed two doubles and two total runs in the inning, but was able to hold the lead at 8-5.
Senior Aaron Knuth replaced Weaver on the mound in the bottom of the fourth. Knuth struck out Belway to lead off the inning, but the next two batters reached base on errors. With runners on second and third, Knuth recorded another strikeout. Defensive struggles continued for Sonoma Academy as Malik reached base on the third error of the inning, which scored a run, making the score 9-5. Payte then hit a single which scored a run, making the score 10-5 heading into the fifth inning.
After Minton walked the first two batters of the inning, he was replaced by Nico Antonini. With the bases loaded and two outs, he walked his second batter of the inning and threw another wild pitch. That scored two more runs for the Coyotes, as they cut the deficit to 10-7.
To start the final frame, Nico Antonini allowed a double and walked a batter. An error allowed both baserunners to score to make it a 12-9 ballgame. With a speedy runner on first, he balked, and walked the next batter and the tying run was at the plate with no outs.
The Mustangs brought in junior Eddy Stone to close out the game on the mound. He recorded a strikeout, but then hit the next batter, loading the bases. Stone walked the next batter, making the score 12-10. He recorded another strikeout, but threw a wild pitch against the next batter and allowed a run to come in and score, making the game 12-11. Stone ended the contest by striking out the final batter.
St. Vincent de Paul also defeated St. Helena, 10-7 on Friday 10-7. That was despite trailing 7-0 in the second inning, and 7-6 in the seventh inning. The Mustangs are 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 2018. They look to keep this win streak alive at West County on Tuesday to open North Bay League - Redwood play.
“We continue to win with great team effort. This team has a never die mentality,” Finkbohner said. “We have to have a short memory. Back in action against quality opponents this week.”