On May 20, the boys’ varsity baseball team took on the Benicia Panthers in the first round of the North Coast Section (NCS) Division One playoffs. The Giants came in on an incredible run of eight straight victories, including a fantastic comeback in Friday night’s Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) championship game against the San Marin Mustangs. Meanwhile, the Panthers had been hot of late and were seeded higher than the Giants in the NCS Division One playoffs. Benicia earned the sixth seed, whilst the Giants placed as the eleventh seed with their win Friday night. However, the Giants earned a first-round home game because they won their league championship.
In the top half of the first inning, the Panthers were able to capitalize off the Giants’ struggle to get going with the top of their lineup. The Panthers put up a significant five runs in the first inning. Junior Jack Moseley recorded one out before Head Coach Mike Firenzi turned to the bullpen. The Panthers had already scored two runs, and with the bases loaded, senior relief pitcher Jack Gurley had no room for error to get out of the jam. However, he couldn’t quite get the Giants out of trouble. The Panthers would extend the lead following big singles, giving them a five-run advantage after the first inning.
Despite a rough start, junior and reigning MCAL player of the year Theo Trono emphasized the importance of keeping the Giants’ focus throughout the game.
“They got lots of momentum [getting runs] early, but from that inning on, there was a lot of game left,” Trono said. “Our coach [encouraged us to] give him a few runs every inning and climb our way back. The thing about our team this season was that we never gave up.”
The Giants showed life in the third inning when senior Miles Harrison showed poise and took an important walk. Next, Trono was able to advance the runner after a line drive single. With runners at first and third, the Giants were only able to score one run and left Trono stranded on base. The Panthers were able to respond with a run of their own, and the Giants were forced to go deeper into their rotation and bring senior Matthew Knauer into the game. Knauer was able to evade any more damage as he painted the corner to strike out the final batter of the inning.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Giants would string together a couple of hits. Harrison led off the inning with a successful line drive into the outfield. The Giants followed this by taking a great deal of walks, and senior TJ Beck hit a single to load the bases. Senior Lucas Ghio swung at the first pitch and sent a fly ball into the outfield, scoring a runner. Additionally, a wild pitch added another run for the Giants, keeping the game within distance at 6-3.
Knauer continued to pitch flawlessly in the fourth and fifth innings to keep the Giants in the game. However, with a lack of offensive chances, the Giants never placed enough pressure on the Panthers. After two stellar innings, Knauer faced a challenge in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded and only one out recorded. In a decisive 3-2 count, Knauer challenged the Benicia batter, and in return, the ball was sent towering in the gap between center and left field, effectively putting the game out of reach with the Giants down 9-3 and just the top of the seventh to make a comeback.
Although the Giants did show signs of persistence, it was ultimately too late to recover. Moseley and Sam Gersch both knocked in runners, however, their season would end with sophomore Chase Johnson hitting a fly ball down the left field line.
“The difference was that they had clutch hits with [players] on base and in big moments,” Trono said. “They made fewer mistakes, [while] we fumbled the ball around too much and didn’t execute when we wanted to.”
Although it was a disappointing end to their season, the Giants remain proud of having a bright future ahead of them, with many critical players returning. Junior Reece Mori-Prange looked back on the season and the Giants’ habits as a team.
“We have been a late-inning team all season [and] that’s been the theme of almost every game,” Mori-Prange said. “I would say it was a little disappointing end of the season, but we [have] fought hard game after game and were able to win the MCAL championship. Something that we can bring into next year is to start the game strong in the first inning and continue to fight until the last out.”
Trono added on, reflecting on the Giants’ hard-fought journey.
“[It] hurts to see [the seniors] walk off in an anticlimactic way,” Trono said, but acknowledged the team’s consistent effort. “We had some bad beats, but we always came back and beat some good teams when it counted. We knew how to bounce back from losses, and that led us to the MCAL championship. I am proud of our team and wouldn’t change a thing.”
