Jesse Di Maggio came up clutch when the Dos Pueblos baseball team really needed a pick-me-up during Thursday’s Channel League game against Pacifica.
After the Chargers lost a 4-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning, Di Maggio provided the spark to bring the momentum back to the home side. The junior crushed a game-tying solo homer to left field, igniting a three-run sixth that lifted DP to a 7-5 comeback victory at Scott O’Leary Field.
The result evened DP’s league record at 2-2 and their season mark to 3-7. Pacifica, which blanked DP in the series opener on Tuesday, is also 2-2 in league and 3-4 overall.
Di Maggio’s blast to lead off the sixth erased the bad taste the Chargers had after Pacifica capitalized on a two-out infield error and scored five runs in the fifth.
“I think it was a good sign for our guys to see him being patient and of course driving a pitch that he’s on time for us,” said coach George Hedricks. “He is a junior in his first year really contributing on varsity for us, and he’s been great this year.”
Di Maggio said the pitch from Pacifica starter Sergio Ruiz was a “middle-middle fastball.”
It was a no-doubt home run that sailed over the left-field fence.
“I hit it pretty good, pretty much perfect, perfect,” said Di Maggio.
After Pacifica scored five and Ruiz sent DP down in order in the bottom of the inning, Di Maggio felt he needed to get something going to start the sixth.
“I was definitely trying to get on base, hopefully more than one base. So (the home run) was perfect,” he said.
Joe Talarico, who relieved starter Kevin Wirtz, with two out in the fifth, closed out the game for DP and picked up the victory. He allowed one hit and struck out four in 2.1 innings.
“Joe came in off of playing shortstop and did not really get any warm-ups, and he came in and threw strikes right off the bat,” said Hedricks. “He did a really good job coming in and filling up the zone and really understanding what we were trying to do there and just get those outs. Good shutdown innings by him.”
Talarico doubled home Zach Gesswein in the first inning and scored on an error on a ground ball hit by Xander Hajda for a 2-0 DP lead.
The Chargers made it 4-0 in the fourth on a clutch two-run single from Jacob Danley with two outs. He drove in Di Maggio and Hajda.
Wirtz was humming along on the mound for DP. He walked one, hit a batter and didn’t allow a hit through four innings. He started the fifth by inducing a ground out to second base before Pacifica’s Ricky Garcia singled and went to third on a double by Bryant Rader. Ruiz followed with a two-run hit.
Di Maggio made a nice defensive play at third base, rushing in and fielding a short hopper and gunning out Riley Ortega at first for the second out.
Alex Villacana and the Tritons got a big break on a ground ball to second. An off target throw kept the inning alive and allowed a run to score
Designated hitter Devon Wilkes faced a 3-2 count against Talarico and lifted a double into the left-field corner for two RBIs, putting Pacifica in the lead, 5-4.
Talarico shut the Tritons down the rest of the way, and the Chargers’ offense responded with some clutch hitting to bounce back for a key league win, with rivalry series against San Marcos and Santa Barbara coming up next.
“You got to find momentum, you got to find victories within the game to put you in a good place to compete against really good teams like we have cross town,” said Hedricks. “I think we’re feeling good right now where we are, but we got a lot of work to do to prepare for the rest of Channel League.
“It’s a long season but a short season because it goes quick. Games like that and the one yesterday (a 14-3 non-league win over Foothill Tech) are big for programs. I hope we take advantage of that.”