Keller’s walk-off lifts Providence baseball to playoff win
When the Providence High baseball team needed a boost, it looked to one of its senior leaders.
In extra innings with the score tied in the bottom of the eighth inning of his team’s CIF Southern Section Division VI first-round game against St. Margaret’s, Thomas Keller gave the team what it needed. His walk-off single propelled Providence a 3-2 victory Thursday at Foy Park.
“Thomas was built for this situation,” Providence Coach Steve Knez said. “There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to win the game right there.”
The win put the Pioneers (15-9), the runner-up from the Liberty League, into a second-round contest at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Foy Park against No. 4 Flintridge Prep. The Rebels (17-5), the Prep League champions and defending division titlists, won their first-round game Tuesday against Joshua Springs in convincing fashion, 28-0.
Providence and Prep played earlier this season in a nonleague game April 14, with the Rebels coming away with a 4-2 victory.
“We are looking forward to a rematch with Flintridge,” Knez said. “They are a well-coached team and the defending CIF champs. We are ready for this challenge.”
Against St. Margaret’s (12-9), the third place team from the Academy League, the Pioneers were only able to muster five hits, coming from Keller, Dante Cano, Sage Del Castillo (three walks), Marco Angrisani and Nicholas Knezevich.
With the game tied at 2, Matthew Meza and Angrisani both walked to start the bottom of the eighth. Knezevich then laid down a perfect bunt to move the runners into scoring position, setting the table for Keller. With two strikes, Keller lined a sharp single up the middle to score Meza for the game-winner.
“The sacrifice bunt by Nicholas couldn’t have been better,” Knez said. “This was a well-played game by both teams. We played ‘small ball’ today and it worked well for us.”
Sean Holt pitched 6 2/3 innings, scattering six hits with two unearned runs.
With two outs in the top of the seventh inning and St. Margaret’s runners on second and third, Del Castillo replaced Holt and got the final out of the frame. Del Castillo pitched a scoreless eighth inning and earned the victory.
The Pioneers threatened to score in the bottom of the seventh when Alec Saavedra walked and stole second, but the Pioneers were unable to push the run across.
“The guys battled today and didn’t give up. I am very proud of them,” Knez said.
The Pioneers took a 2-0 lead with two runs in the second inning.
St. Margaret’s, which had six hits, tied the score at 2 with two runs in the sixth inning.
