Mater Dei misses chances, falls to Simi Valley in 11
|
Baseball playoffs: Monarchs leave bases loaded twice in extra innings of 6-5 loss.
RIVERSIDE Mater Dei seemed poised to close out Tuesday's semifinal baseball game, again and again. But at the end of 11 innings, the Monarchs still weren't ready to leave.
By then, they had no choice.
For the second consecutive year, Mater Dei came one game from the CIF-Southern Section Division I championship, only to fall short. Simi Valley, which won, 6-5, at UC Riverside, will play the Norco-Long Beach Wilson winner Friday at Dodger Stadium.
After Mater Dei coach Burt Call addressed his teary-eyed team, the Monarchs spread out and hugged each teammate before heading home.
“We all had that common goal for the past three months,” senior shortstop Tyler Rahmatulla said. “For it to be done, we wanted to make sure we had our last time together and made it special.”
Each of the top eight batters in Mater Dei's lineup had at least two hits. But after No. 5 batter Derek Campbell tied the score with a single in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Monarchs never scored again. They had their chance.
Following Campbell's single, Simi Valley reliever Jonathan Meyer struck out two batters with a runner on second base. Twice in extra innings, the Monarchs (24-7) stranded the bases loaded.
“Those two innings, we thought we had it,” Rahmatulla said. “It's a horrible feeling. We all wanted it so bad.”
With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 10th, designated hitter Aaron Northcraft narrowly avoided being hit by Meyer's first pitch. Three pitches later, he bounced a hard grounder up the middle for an inning-ending double play.
Meyer sealed the victory by picking Blake Arthur's low line drive, with runners at the corners, for the final out.
“They (the Pioneers) made the plays to get out of some jams,” Call said after both teams put on a defensive showcase. “You have to give them a lot of credit.”
Right-hander Matt Blanchard took the loss in relief, after allowing a leadoff double in the final inning. Northcraft, the Monarchs' ace, entered, but Simi Valley (24-8) scored with a bunt and sacrifice fly.
“We thought it was going to be a barn burner,” Call said as his team led, 4-3, after the first inning. “But both teams settled down and started playing baseball.”
Contact the writer: jkay@ocregister.com
We want our site to be a place where people discuss and debate ideas that foster stronger communities. We built this for you. Please take care of it. Tolerate broad thinking, but take action against obscene or hateful material. Make it a credible and safe place worth preserving and sharing.
