In the bottom of the seventh inning, Santa Barbara’s John Jensen smacked a ball into right field that looked deep enough to clear the fences and result in a wild walk-off victory.
But Jensen’s skyrocketing drive fell just short, dropping into the outstretched glove of Mission Viejo right fielder Mitchell Nagasaki just inches from the warning track.
The play foreshadowed the Dons fate in a hard-fought 6-5 loss to Mission Viejo in eight innings during the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoffs.
Despite coming back from an early 3-run deficit, Santa Barbara was unable to put away the fourth-seeded Diablos on Tuesday afternoon at Eddie Mathews Field.
“Falling behind early was a really tough way to start the ballgame, but we scratched our way back and tied it up,” Dons coach Donny Warrecker said. “Our guys really rose to the occasion today and put us within striking distance.”
Santa Barbara was led at the plate by Jensen, who carried the Dons’ offense throughout. The senior third baseman went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
“I told the guys before the game that it was going to be a slugfest,” Jensen said. “It was a really hard-fought game and we just fell short, but I’m really proud of my squad.”
Also making notable contributions were Carter Soto and Joe Firestone. The duo combined for four hits, three RBIs and a run scored for Santa Barbara.
On the mound, Bijan Palme (3-3) got tagged with the loss despite a solid relief performance. The right hander threw 3 1/3 innings, surrendering just one run on two hits and striking out two.
“He was outstanding, coming in relief of Alex Chicote today,” Warrecker added. “That’s about as far as he’s ever gone into a game, and his fastball was working great.”
Mission Viejo was led by Zach Sanchez, who went 3/3 with two runs scored. Also making their presences felt at the plate were Tanner Bibee and Justin Evans, who combined for five hits, four RBI’s, and a run scored.
Earning the victory for the Diablos was Joey Garman (4-1), who pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief while allowing just one hit.
In the top of the first inning, Mission Viejo jumped out to an early 3-0 advantage. With runners on first and second, Bibee smacked an RBI double to score Mitchell Narasaki. This was followed by back to back RBI singles from Evans and Matt Austin.
During the bottom of the third, Jensen hit an RBI single to score Lucas Grandcolas. Immediately following, Joe Firestone smacked a triple to right field, which allowed Jensen to score and cut the Diablos lead to just 3-2.
Nevertheless, Mission Viejo responded with a run of its own in both the fourth and the fifth. Evans was the culprit once again, scoring a run on a wild pitch and hitting another RBI single.
Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth, the Dons hit three consecutive singles to load the bases for Soto. The senior first baseman capitalized with a two-run single to score Jensen and Caleb Norton. Antonio Andrade followed this up with RBI single to tie the game up at 5-5.
“One swing of the bat can really change a game and once we scored two runs, I knew that we were back in it and ready to go,” Soto said.
In the top of the eighth, Palme walked both Jake Figueroa and Zach Sanchez prior to facing Bibee. The senior third baseman took advantage, whacking an RBI single to centerfield while allowing Figueroa to score the eventual game winning run.
With the victory, Mission Viejo (22-10 overall) advances to the CIF quarterfinals to face-off against fifth-seeded Damien. The Diablos are the defending Division 2 champions.
On the other hand, Santa Barbara (13-9 overall) wraps up another successful season in which it exceeded expectations by finishing second in the Channel League and reached the second round of the CIF playoffs.
“I’m really pleased with what this group of guys has accomplished this year,” concluded Warrecker. “Realistically, getting second place in league and winning that first round game on the road was awesome and showed that we belong.”
— Noozhawk sports reporter Blake DeVine can be reached at bdevine@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.