Leaping catches. Clutch hitting. Loud fans. Lights-out bullpen. The Leland Chargers had all those factors in Saturday afternoon’s Central Coast Section Open Division Final against Bellarmine, helping them to a 3-2 win and the school’s first CCS title since 1996.
Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the second, Josh Wells got the Leland offense going with a two out double immediately followed by a Doug Frazier hit by pitch. Then, a potential inning-ending ground ball to short by Matt McLaughlin was thrown into right field, allowing Wells to score. Jake Dermer then singled to left, and Leland was quickly tied with the Bells at two.
“We had to battle back against Palo Alto, had to battle back against Valley Christian, had to battle back against Bellarmine, and we wouldn’t want it any other way,” said Chargers coach Michael Sparrer. “It’s just the way we’ve done things.”
With the game still tied 2-2 in the sixth, Kevin Cance led off the inning for the Chargers with a high chopper that bounced just over the head of Bells third baseman Nick Bellafronto for a single. Cance then advanced to second on a Liam Saito sacrifice bunt, and scored from second on a softly hit Josh Wells single to center, giving Leland a 3-2 lead.
“We knew we had to win the game in the sixth or seventh,” said Cance. “I had been swinging the bat well, I looked for a fastball, got one first pitch, bounced it over the third baseman’s head and the rally started from there.”
“I’m just thinking I have to put a ball in play, put it somewhere they can’t get it,” Wells said of his go-ahead single. “He threw me two curveballs in the at-bat before, I knew he was going to come back with that. I just waited for that, he hung it, and I put it up the middle.”
With the 3-2 lead, Sparrer kept his best reliever and closer Josh Nashed in the game to close in the seventh. After a leadoff base hit from James Gaffey, Nashed got Matt Ross to fly out, Bellafronto to ground into a fielder’s choice, and Alec Iniguez to line out to second to secure the victory. After the final catch by Cance at second, the Leland squad dog piled on Nashed in celebration, echoed by the roar of the Leland crowd.
“Three outs. Three outs and we’re CCS Champions. I got three outs, we’re CCS Champions,” said Nashed of his final inning. “What a great way to end our high school career, us seniors at least.”
Bellarmine’s ace Corby Punian, who no-hit top-ranked St. Francis just a week earlier in the quarterfinal, allowed all three runs on seven hits, walked one, hit two, and struck out one. Only one of the runs he allowed was earned. He finishes the season with an 8-4 record and a 1.16 ERA over 13 starts and 78 1/3 innings pitched.
Punian also scored one of Bellarmine’s two first-inning runs on a pitch that got past Leland catcher Brendt Citta that easily allowed Scotty Jarvis to score, and then Punian to score on Citta’s overthrow of pitcher Conner DiNaro. The error also brought Jack Thoreson to third base, but he was stranded there at the end of the inning.
“I thought we were ready to play, I thought we brought a good level of intensity,” said Bells coach Mike Rodriguez. “We hit a lot of balls hard, but I give them credit, they made a lot of good defensive plays, they were a good team and fought hard.”
The loss ends Bellarmine’s season with a 26-8 record, which included a trip to the WCAL tournament championship in addition to the CCS Open Division final.
“For me, it’s a lot of satisfaction in seeing them come together as a team and grow, and play pretty good baseball,” said Rodriguez. “26-8 is nothing to choke at. That’s a good record and I’m very proud of them.”
As for the new reigning champion Leland Chargers, they finish the season with a 23-9 record and a Blossom Valley Athletic League-Mt. Hamilton title in addition to the hardware they’re taking home from Saturday’s CCS final.
“It sounds cliché, but we wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Sparrer.
