Notre Dame Cuts Down Crespi on Final Play, 5-4

Del Rey League . . . Mission League . . . it doesn’t matter. Crespi vs. Notre Dame is Crespi vs. Notre Dame.

Submitted for approval as another classic between the schools is Wednesday’s resumption of the rivalry at Notre Dame High, where the Mission and former Del Rey league rivals squared off for the first time since 1988.

The first go-round of 1991 proved vintage as Crespi’s Vic Seper, trying to score from first base on Mike Peters’ double to the left-field fence, was thrown out at the plate on the game’s final play, allowing Notre Dame to escape with a 5-4 win that left Crespi (11-7, 5-1 in league play) one game ahead of St. Paul and Notre Dame (12-4, 4-2) in the race for the inaugural Mission title.

“That’s Crespi-Notre Dame, right there,” Notre Dame Coach Bob Mandeville said. “My heart was in my mouth on that last play.”

Did the finish tickle Crespi Coach Scott Muckey?

“It wasn’t exciting enough,” Muckey deadpanned.

The standing-room-only crowd, regardless of partiality, may beg to differ.

The drama’s roots can be traced to the fifth inning, when Notre Dame overcame a 3-1 deficit and the mastery of Crespi starter Jeff Suppan (4-2) to post four runs. With the bases loaded and none out, Suppan, who did not allow a hit in the first three innings, caught Jasen McConaghy and Vinnie Orlando looking for strikeouts and appeared to be headed out of the jam.

But Notre Dame cleanup hitter Louie Tapia followed with a scorching two-run double down the left-field line and Cesar Martinez’s RBI single put Notre Dame ahead, 5-3.

Crespi had taken a 3-0 lead on RBI singles by Seper (first inning) and Ryan Staley (third inning). The Celts scored their other run on a delayed double steal when Kyle Carden beat Edgar Maldonado’s throw home from second base, where Staley had been called safe on a steal.

Notre Dame starter Cary Wichmann (5-1), who allowed just three hits in five-plus innings, gave way to reliever Eric Vellozzi in the fifth inning and the game gave way to its slam-bang finish.

In the top of the seventh Vellozzi sandwiched walks to Kyle Carden and Seper around outs.

So, with two on, two out and Peters at the plate, Crespi needed a clutch hit.

They got it when Peters slugged a Vellozzi fastball back, back and back some more to left field.

“I thought it was gone,” Muckey said.

“I thought it was gone,” Mandeville said.

“I knew it wasn’t gone,” Notre Dame left fielder Martinez said.

Cesar knew best. He and the ball both hit the fence and the ball glanced off the bottom of his glove. Carden scored easily, but Martinez fired a strike to shortstop Maldonado in short left.

Maldonado turned and threw. The relay hit Tapia, the catcher, waist-high and Seper, three steps from home, slid into the mitt for the final out.

Suddenly, Crespi was no longer unbeaten in league play, Vellozzi had his first save, and the Crespi-Notre Dame rivalry was officially back in full swing.

Maldonado was irked when his relay from second to home was not in time on Crespi’s first-inning double steal.

He more than made up for it.

“I’ve never done that,” Maldonado said, reflecting on his game-ending throw. “I guess I made up for the first inning. I ended it. I ended it in style.”