Valley Christian captured the 12th CCS title in school history with a 6-0 win over Soquel Saturday night at Excite Ballpark in San Jose. Seniors Gabe Felix and Alex Kim combined on a four-hit shutout, with Felix striking out six over the first five innings and Kim coming on to pitch the final two frames.
The Warriors (20-9) scored the only run they would need in the second inning on an RBI single by senior Nathan Choi to drive in senior Nathan Miller. Junior Colton Hadfield struck the decisive blow with a two-run double to cap a three-run fourth inning that gave Valley Christian a 6-0 cushion.
Soquel (23-5) pulled off an upset of No. 1 Saint Francis in the semifinal, edging the Lancers 1-0 on a combined five-hit shutout by senior Dylan Hull (4 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 K) and junior Luke Shoemaker (3 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 5 K). Junior Luke Santee drove in senior Sam Whelan with a base hit in the second inning for the game’s only run.
Both Soquel and Valley Christian advanced to the NorCal Division 1 playoffs. The Knights are the No. 6 seed and will visit Elk Grove Tuesday while No. 4 seed Valley Christian hosts Bullard. Saint Francis is the No. 8 seed and will visit North Coast Section power De La Salle Tuesday. Los Gatos, the other CCS Division 1 semifinalist, is the No. 3 seed in Division 2 and will host Rio Americano.
