Michael Shames | Co-News Editor
It is almost impossible to follow up an inconceivable game-ending triple play, but sophomore Davis Rich and the Menlo Knights baseball team did the best they could. In the CCS quarterfinal, the Knights shutout the Santa Cruz High School Cardinals 4-0, behind a stellar performance by Rich. Rich threw seven shutout innings, yielding six hits, two walks, and striking out three.
Things were looking awfully bleak for the Knights in the bottom of the fifth inning. Winning by four runs, Rich surrendered a few hits to load the bases with one out. Head Coach Craig Schoof called timeout to bring junior Garrett Matsuda in to pitch and hopefully salvage Rich’s solid outing. But, as Schoof sauntered to the mound to take out Rich, Rich would not give up the ball. “I did not want to put Garrett in that situation (bases loaded), and I knew that I could get out of it myself,” Rich said. Schoof walked back to the dugout with Rich still on the mound. He got the next batter to ground out to sophomore Jared Lucian, resulting in a double play to end the inning. Rich then retired each of the last six batters he faced in the sixth and seventh innings to secure the win for the Knights. Schoof mentioned that it was the first time in all of his years coaching baseball that a pitcher was able to talk him out of taking them out. “We want guys that want the ball,” Schoof said to the team after the win.
The Menlo tandem of Lucian and senior co-captain Mikey Diekroeger led the way for the Knights’ hitting, combining for five hits. The first run was scored by sophomore Rylan Pade, who walked and then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Diekroeger then hit a ball past the diving attempt of the Cardinals’ first and second baseman, followed by a sacrifice fly ball by senior co-captain Graham Stratford to score Pade. Then, Lucian singled up the middle to score Diekroeger.
After Menlo added another run to extend the lead to three, senior co-captain Sam Crowder reached first base on a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Then, junior Macklan Badger popped out to the catcher for the second out of the inning, but Crowder took advantage of nobody covering third base and advanced. The catcher’s late throw to third bounced off of the tip of the third baseman’s glove and Crowder was able to advance home on the play, scoring the team’s fourth run. “It was a team effort today,” Crowder said. “We were able to manufacture runs and help out Davis, who pitched a fantastic game.”
Menlo faces Branham High School next week at San Jose Municipal Stadium in the CCS semifinals. Branham High School defeated top-seeded Pacific Grove High School, who has defeated Menlo in the CCS championship game the past two years. The Knights will look to extend their six game winning streak and continue their miraculous run.
