Tuesday evening’s baseball matchup between the De La Salle Spartans and the Trojans on varsity field was not that good if you were in a hurry to be somewhere.
But if you were a baseball fan, the 11-inning pitcher’s duel was just possibly the greatest game you’ve ever seen, topped off by “The Catch” and a rarely-seen game-winning, walk-off suicide squeeze!
Scoring was minimal on both sides and the teams were tied through 10 innings. Offensively for the Trojans, Josh Kahn had a clutch single and an RBI, Luke Huerta had 2 singles and 2 stolen bases, and Catcher Desi Bradford singled.
Castro Valley’s Jason Seever was on the mound through 4 innings, then he got relief help from Alex Morales, Kevin Burt, Andrew Fernandez, Cash Carmody and closer Nick Walsh.
Defensively the Trojans displayed ridiculously good fielding, with Huerta, Colby Wright, Erik Wood, Jesse Sellers and Victor Castano, all making highlight-reel plays.
But none of the previous fireworks could match “The Catch” by outfielder Eli Davis.
It was top of the of the 11th with two outs. A Spartan batter stepped to the plate and launched a ball deep, deep, deeper into right field. Davis sprinted full speed to the wall with his back to the infield, then turned at the fence and somehow made a leaping, over-the-wall catch to bring back what would be a game-changing home run.
That ball seemed uncatchable, and yet somehow, impossibly, Eli Davis made the catch. The home crowd and the Trojan dugout went CRAZY!
Now it’s the bottom of the 11th and we are running out of time and light. The Trojans get the last at-bat.
Nick Walsh reaches on a bunt. Walsh is moved over with a sacrifice bunt by Tyler Vallejo. Walsh gets to third via a Luke Huerta ground ball. When Victor Castano stands in the box, Coach Iglesias calls for a suicide squeeze!
Here’s the pitch, Walsh breaks for home and yes indeed folks, Castano lays down the perfect bunt!
Walsh slides headfirst into home, here’s the play at the plate and he is SAAAAFE!
Game over. Trojans win, and the crowd and the team go absolutely bonkers.
It doesn’t get any better than that folks — final score Trojans 2, Spartans 1. Come watch this year’s varsity team, and you’ll see quality baseball, I promise you!
