SCOTT GIORGIANNI
Prep2Prep Adult Contributor

April 9, 2023

LIVERMORE, Calif. – San Marin faced a two-run deficit heading to the bottom of the seventh inning in the championship game of the Service Champions Classic. Playing their fifth game in as many days, they needed one last adrenaline push to get over the hump. And that’s exactly what a got. In a wild, memorable finish the Mustangs clobbered two two-run homers to walk off with a 6-4 victory over Serra.

Cole Chamberlain slugged the game-winner, a shot to right field with two outs and starting pitcher John Holtz at first. That blast came just two batters after Anthony Scheppler brought home Jake Simpson with a two-run dinger of his own.

“We’re not supposed to compete with those types of teams, but we did,” San Marin coach Jamie Vattuone said. “It was a heck of a comeback win for these guys and the big bats came through. Everyone just did their job and kept them off balance and gave our offense the chance to make a comeback.”

Holtz pitched five innings, racking up 11 strikeouts and allowing four hits and four walks. None of the runs was earned, however, as a costly error in the third set up the Padres for a big inning.

San Marin benefited from an error itself in the first. With runners at the corners and one out, Chamberlain grounded to first. But the throw to second base was high, allowing Scheppler to score and sending Josh Martin scampering to third. Serra starter Ian Josephson escaped further trouble by inducing Sean McGrath into a 1-2-3 double play.

Ben Cleary led off the top of the third with a single. Jake Downing doubled, and Ian Armstrong walked to load the bases. Each advanced a base on a fielding error. Holtz struck out the next two batters, but Davis Minton smacked a bases-clearing double to center.

Josephson allowed one more run, an RBI double to Martin in the fifth, and finished his day with two runs, one earned, three hits, four walks, and four strikeouts.

David Skaggs pitched the sixth for San Marin, giving up a hit and a hit batsman with two outs but retiring the side on a flyout by Armstrong, and Simpson tossed a perfect seventh.

Simpson doubled off Braden Agosta to start the bottom of the seventh. Jake Whitlock struck out, but Scheppler’s homer to center tied the game at four. After Martin drew a walk, Serra called on Vincent Jones to take the mound. Holtz hit a sharp grounder to third, resulting in a fielder’s choice. Chamberlain then hit the game-winning home run to complete the sweep of the tournament.

“I’ve been struggling,” Chamberlain commented. “The last two at-bats I was thinking just up the middle the whole time, stay through it, and he gave me an inside pitch and I reacted to it - it felt good.”

“The first inning I came out, there’s always nerves coming into a championship game,” Holtz said. “But I knew my boys would have my back. That was for sure one of the top five baseball games I’ve ever played in. I knew right off the bat, I was at first base, and it was just the best feeling ever. That was a memory I’ll never forget.”

Chamberlain now has three homers on the year but has seen his average dip from last season, when he batted .366 with five home runs and 30 RBIs, his first full season in his high school career. Sonoma State-bound Holtz is still seeking his first win on the campaign but has a 2.55 ERA in five appearances.

Serra defeated Santa Rosa and College Park, 7-1 and 7-4 respectively, in the first two days of the tournament. Saturday’s loss to San Marin was the Padres' first defeat by a non-WCAL opponent this season. The Mustangs defeated Berean Christian 5-2 and Redwood 2-1 in the earlier rounds.

“We’ve gotten so much closer this week,” Chamberlain added. “Everything went into this. Winning five games in a row five days straight is pretty crazy. Bunch of guys jumped in the cold pool just to wake themselves up, and we really prepared all day and came through.”