Paloma Valley baseball team upset in first round of playoffs

Joey Davis beats out a ground ball for a single in the seventh inning Thursday. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

By Paige Mendez, Correspondent

In a stunning upset, the heavily favored Paloma Valley High School baseball team lost a 9-8 decision to fourth-place Crean Lutheran of Irvine Thursday in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs.

Down 9-3 at one point, the Wildcats (27-2) staged a wild rally, scoring four runs in the sixth inning and one in the seventh but falling just short. Crean Lutheran (16-12) was a heavy underdog coming into the game, finishing fourth in the Empire League with a 4-6 record.

Facing a steep uphill climb, the Wildcats fought back with a three-run home run (his second of the game) by Ayden Harrison and an RBI double by Gavin Garcia in the sixth. A hard ground ball single by Joey Davis drove in the eighth run in the last inning, and the Wildcats were within one run.

Jacob Melendez was hit by a pitch, which loaded the bases, putting Brayden Bessette at the plate. Bessette had two walks in the game prior to this at-bat and has been one of Paloma’s powerhouses at the plate this season.

Bessette watched one ball, then one strike go by. Then he fouled one off before watching one more ball. Then he swung on the 2-2 pitch and barely nicked the ball before the catcher caught it and ended the game.

The sound of that caught foul ball -- which normally is a benign noise in a game of many peculiar noises -- was heard loud and clear from the stands all the way to the outfield fence, where many fans were watching after leaving the Paloma softball game that finished just minutes before.

The sound of that foul ball meant the end to an impressive season for the Paloma program, one that head coach Jason Berni said he is immensely proud of.

“This game and going out like this just speaks to our character as a team,” said Berni, through tears. “We faced a lot of adversity today and responded, but at the end of seven innings, it just didn’t go our way.”

The first of those seven innings started with the first Saints run coming on a Wildcat error, followed by two more runs on base hits. But Harrison had an answering home run in the Wildcats’ half of the inning to get them on the board.

Starting pitcher Chapman Weber then held the Saints with three quick strikeouts in the second, giving his offense the chance to do their thing.

The Wildcats scored one run in both the second and third innings, tying the game at 3-3, with five total hits in those two innings. Meanwhile, Weber continued to shut down Crean’s offense. That is, until the fourth inning, when the Saints scored four runs on four hits and three walks and one error, giving Paloma quite the uphill battle through the last three and a half innings.

The fourth and fifth innings for Paloma brought zero runs on zero hits, even with reliever Brody Smearer shutting down Crean’s offense in the four batters he faced in those innings.

Then Saints first baseman Brennan Bates hit a two-run homer in the sixth to make their lead 9-3.

After the sixth-inning Paloma rally, Smearer continued to shut down the Crean offense, recording a groundout and two strikeouts in the three batters he faced in the seventh, giving his team one last chance to climb that hill.

For Berni, however, the end of this season and the team he coached are about more than just baseball.

“These are the future leaders of our community,” he said of his team. “This is so much more than baseball. Each and every one of these guys is going to grow up and be outstanding fathers and great community members. That’s what this is about; these are our neighbors.”

The Wildcats finish with just one other loss on their record, having gone undefeated in the Ivy League.

Brody Smearer pitched a solid game in relief for the Wildcats. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

 First baseman Jacob Melendez prepares to apply the tag on a pickoff attempt. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

 Starting pitcher Chapman Weber attempts a pickoff throw early in the game. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)