After a sloppy performance against the same Southeastern team the previous night, the Warriors took out the team that was #1 the entire season with excellent pitching and fielding, and timely hitting.
The Fire got on the board first with a no-doubt home run over the left field fence by Chayce Bryant to lead off the bottom of the second inning. The Warriors took the lead for the first time in the top of the third inning. Fire starter Darien Smith walked in a run. He was immediately relieved by Olvis Genao, who proceeded to balk in a run. The Fire responded with a sacrifice fly by Adonys Herrera and an RBI single by Gary Lora, and led 3-2 after three innings.
Genao was in a collision when fielding a popup near the first-base line in the top of the fourth, and was relieved by David Mata two batters later. The bottom of the fourth ended with a double play. The Warriors tied it in the top of the fifth with a sacrifice fly by Liam Critchett. (Critchett was hit on the batting helmet by a pitch in the second inning.) Herrera hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to give the Fire a 4-3 lead.
The Warriors took the lead for good in the top of the sixth inning. With two on and no outs, Andrew Long came in to relieve David Mata. Long walked the first batter he faced, Brady Renck, to load the bases. The next batter, Ryan DeSaegher, hit a single, two runs scored, and the Warriors led 5-4. The Fire got a double play to avoid further damage.
Warriors starter Bryan Peck then turned the ball over to Zach Yates. The first batter Yates faced got a hit, but he proceeded to strike out the next three batters.
The Warriors were gifted the insurance run in the top of the seventh. With two out and the bases empty, Shane Hofstadler got a hit. He was replaced by a courtesy runner, Daniel Patterson, who stole second. The next batter, Michael Soper, hit a fly ball to left field that should have ended the inning, but the left fielder dropped it, Patterson scored, and the Warriors led 6-4.
Yates was relieved by Lucien Wechsberg in the bottom of the seventh after Yates allowed a hit and a walk. Wechsberg got out of the inning with a strikeout and an popup. The Fire started the bottom of the eighth with a double by Bryant, the result of Bryce McFeely slipping in right field. Wechsberg struck out the next batter, and two fly outs ended the threat.
Jay Schueler, who pitched the final three innings for the Fire, struck out the side in the top of the ninth. So, the Fire were down two runs with three outs left. The first batter flied out. The second batter hit a foul ball that was just barely in play on the right field side, and McFeely made a brilliant catch to record the second out. Wechsberg struck out the next batter to end the game and put the Warriors in the final.
Peck got the win. He pitched five innings, allowed four runs on seven hits, walked one, and struck out six. Yates pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowed two hits, walked one, struck out three. Wechsberg pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowed one hit, didn’t walk a batter, struck out three, and got a save. The Fire out-hit the Warriors 10-6. Mata got the loss, because he was charged with the two runs in the sixth. DeSaegher was the only Warrior with two hits. Bryant finished 3-for-4. Attendance: 1,195. RecapBox score
Schedule for Friday:
6:35 PM PDT: Westmont vs. Lewis-Clark State for the championship.