Early lead vanishes for Fountain Valley baseball in CIF semifinals
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SANTA ANA — Fountain Valley High baseball coach Gerardo Gonzalez has been around long enough to know that high school sports are about more than just the wins and losses.
Gonzalez, three years into his second stint as Barons head coach, smiles when he talks about senior leadoff hitter Anthony Zamora, for example.
“He was a little kid and grew up,” Gonzalez said of Zamora, who played on the junior varsity team last year as a junior. “He just kept his head down, worked his rear end off, worked out in the weight room and just had a fantastic year.”
Zamora hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday, blasting the first pitch he saw over the fence in left-center field.
Mater Dei rallied late, however, earning a 5-4 home win in the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs to end Fountain Valley’s season.
The Monarchs (19-13) advanced to play West Ranch in the Division 2 title game Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton.
Fountain Valley (18-14) was trying to make its first CIF final since 1996. Zamora’s solo shot gave the Barons a 4-1 lead in the top of the second inning, but they couldn’t hold it.
“We didn’t add to our runs and we gave them that opportunity,” Gonzalez said. “Kudos to them. That’s a good ball club. At this point, everybody’s a good ball team. They’re a good Trinity League team, and we’re a really strong Sunset League team. I just feel that at the end of the day, when we walk away from this game, our kids aren’t very happy and I’m not very happy because I think we should be playing in the championship.”
Fountain Valley took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, with Zamora and Mikey Patterson lacing back-to-back singles. After Zamora scored on an errant pickoff move, Tyler Peshke was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Starting pitcher Josh Grack then helped his own cause, roping a triple to deep center to score two more runs. Grack was out at home plate on the play.
“It was a very good feeling just to do your job and see your team just roll with it,” Zamora said. “It’s absolutely insane, honestly. Everybody just giving you compliments because you started it, there’s nothing like it, man.”
The offensive outburst didn’t last, though. Mater Dei senior pitcher Landon Gordon, who came on before Grack’s triple, landed the win in relief. He retired the side in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth.
“Landon is a guy we trust,” Mater Dei coach Richard Mercado said. “He’s a four-year varsity guy, and he was Trinity League Rookie of the Year his freshman year with a 0.8 ERA. He’s been through everything, he’s got ice water in his veins and he’s just a guy we would trust in any big moment. That’s why we had him out of the pen, because we know we can rely on him to come in and throw strikes and be competitive for us as a team. That’s what he did today.”
Fountain Valley still led 4-2 headed into the bottom of the sixth. Barons reliever Logan Hunt got the first out before the hosts began to rally.
Dylan Wetzel drew a full-count walk, then Brandon Thomas was plunked by a pitch. Bradley Beaudreau’s dribbler in front of the plate went for an infield single for Mater Dei, loading the bases.
After Brady Guth’s run-scoring groundout, CJ Ciampa hit a sharp grounder to shortstop, but the throw was dropped to allow another run to score and tie the game. Mater Dei senior catcher Lawson Olmstead followed with the eventual game-winning single to left, scoring Beaudreau.
Thomas, normally the Mater Dei No. 1 pitcher, earned the save in the seventh, working around a two-out single by Patterson.
Junior catcher Ethan Cortez was two for three for the Barons, while junior outfielder Isaac Lomeli added a hit.
Gonzalez said his Barons went through adversity this season, with the starting shortstop quitting the team two weeks into the year and Patterson missing much of the year with an injury. They came together at the end, however, to help fuel a memorable run.
“First and foremost I told them that I love them,” Gonzalez said when asked his post-game remarks to the team. “It’s all about relationships here for us. We have a moniker at our school, ‘Barons for Life,’ and they know that they’re always welcome back. Even as the game was going on, I had 50 ex-players right there watching the game, which was awesome to see.”
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