St. Vincent de Paul defeated Washington 8-7 and Cloverdale 10-0 in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader. A tight ballgame in the opener and a blowout in game two solidified the Mustangs' North Coast Section Playoff positioning.
Game 1:
St. Vincent de Paul used an impressive five-run third inning to take down Washington-San Francisco 8-7.
The Mustangs were locked in offensively, as they recorded eight hits, two walks, and were hit by five pitches.
The Mustangs rallied for five runs in the third inning and never lost the lead after that. They scored an early run thanks to help from a one out double from senior infielder Taiki Belway.
The second out was recorded shortly after. With runners in scoring position, sophomore pitcher/infielder Josh Malik roped a two-run double, flipping the lead from 4-3 Washington to 5-4 in favor of the Mustangs. Thanks to a hit by a pitch and a wild pitch, runners moved up to second and third. This helped set up freshman outfielder Joseph Edwards to smoke a two run double, giving the Mustangs a 7-4 lead.
“We needed to keep our focus, it’s always a momentum shift when a team puts up five in one inning,” Washington head coach Thomas Mora said. “It’s baseball. We could have put up six in the next.”
As for the Mustangs, this was definitely Edwards’ breakout day as a freshman on the varsity squad. He recorded four hits over the course of both games.
“I think my confidence was definitely better,” Edwards said. “I think I’ve seen enough of the game now which helped me be more confident to hit the ball.”
Before the Mustang bats heated up, it was all Washington early on. Multiple first inning hits against Malik allowed them to go up 2-0, including a two out RBI double from junior catcher Joaquin Ruiz.
The Mustangs didn’t get their offense rolling until the bottom of the second. Following junior James Mertz hitting two batters and throwing a wild pitch, junior outfielder Mac Cauz recorded an RBI single. On the next at bat, Malik stole home after Cauz was thrown out attempting to steal second. The runs cut the Washington lead down to 3-2.
Washington did not crumble after the strong third inning for St. Vincent de Paul. They were hitting Malik’s fastball well and scored two runs in the fourth, which forced Mustangs head coach Spencer Finkbohner to take him out and bring in Stone.
Throughout the entire game, the Mustangs’ outfield was exceptional. They made multiple diving plays and impressed everyone as they covered a lot of ground in the spacious multi-use outfield. The worthy players being Edwards, sophomore Jack Davis and senior Liam O’Hare.
Over the next few innings, pitching and defense on both sides slowed down the opposing offense. The score remained 7-6 St. Vincent de Paul heading to the bottom of the sixth.
Senior infielder Dante Antonini led the bottom of the sixth off with a base hit. With his speed, he easily stole second and third base on the next two pitches. He then scored and made the game 8-6 thanks to an RBI single from his brother, sophomore catcher/infielder Nico Antonini. The brother duo have been extremely productive this season. They are both top five in every major hitting stat for St. Vincent de Paul.
In the top of the final inning, Ruiz smoked a one out home run to cut the lead to just one. Following the homer, Stone was lights out to close out the win.
Despite the loss, Mora was satisfied with the way his team played.
“We wanna get hot at the right time of the year, and this is the right time,” Mora said. “As long as our bats keep going and we clean it up on the base paths and with fielding, we should be good.”
This was the Mustangs first game since the Thursday of the week before due to a game being rescheduled. During that time, there were multiple obstacles, but they stayed strong and got it done.
“With a school function and senior cut day during the week, it was important to get back together as a family, and to get back that one heart, one beat type of mentality,” Finkbohner said. “We were ready to come out today against a good team. They put pressure on us, but the Mustangs found a way to win.”
Game 2:
St. Vincent de Paul took down Cloverdale in an electric 10-0 blowout win that saw senior Jake DeCarli throw a no-hitter.
The Mustangs were consistent throughout the five inning contest, but they really started gaining momentum in the third inning. Parents began yelling at fans, and play was stopped for a couple of minutes. However, it did not throw off the Mustangs in any way en route to scoring four runs in the inning and taking a 9-0 lead.
This game meant a lot to the Mustangs. With the loss, Cloverdale was officially eliminated from North Coast Section playoff contention.
“We wanted to come out hot and not slow down,” sophomore catcher Nico Antonini said. “It felt good to take a team out of getting into the playoffs.”
Nico Antonini was dominant at the plate in both games. He finished his day 4-5 with two walks and two doubles. He has been extremely impressive in his young high school career, as he is a key to leading his team into the postseason.
DeCarli took the mound and never left it, as he had the best pitching performance of his high school career. He didn’t allow a hit and walked just one batter. It was truly a game to remember for DeCarli.
“Hearing the Cloverdale parents chirping at us really sparked it inside of me,” DeCarli said. “Watching Dante (Antonini) and Taiki (Belway) have that beautiful double play helped me just keep it going. Kinda a team effort, not just me.”
With one out in the bottom of the second, Cauz smoked a ball into deep right field for the first home run of his high school career. Cauz was thrilled about seeing the ball fly over the fence.
“Honestly, I didn’t think it was going out,” Cauz said. “I was running, and the next thing I know it’s over the guy’s head. Pretty good feeling.”
The bottom of the third saw something very similar to the second. With Malik on first base, Edwards hit a shot over the right fielder’s head for his first career high school home run.
Following the home run, Dante Antonini hit a single that scored Cauz. Nico Antonini then smoked a double which brought in his brother. Stone then got a base hit and Nico Antonini touched home to extend their lead to 9-0.
After the first three innings, the scoring mostly stopped, but DeCarli was still dealing. The Mustangs mercy-ruled the Eagles after five innings.
“This was a great rivalry that we’ve always had,” Finkbohner said. “I know the basketball players wanted their revenge [Cloverdale knocked out St. Vincent de Paul in the second round of the NCS playoffs in February], and it was good to get them. We were ready to rock and roll.”
Upcoming for the Mustangs, They will play Healdsburg on Wednesday, then host them on Friday to close out the regular season.
Washington will see Galileo on Monday, followed by Lincoln-San Francisco on Wednesday and Thursday.
Cloverdale will see Fort Bragg and Clear lake for two league contests.
