The boys’ varsity baseball team went head to head against San Marin in a highly anticipated matchup between star-studded lineups on April 25. Junior Matthew Knauer led off the bottom of the first, working a full count and fouling off multiple pitches before eventually walking. Junior TJ Beck advanced Knauer to second base on a bunt before sophomore Theo Trono worked another walk. Senior Rex Solle, a University of California, Los Angeles commit, got the scoring started, driving in Knauer with a single to right field before Trono advanced to home on a balk. The Giants maintained their two-run lead after Solle struck out two batters in the second inning. Later on, freshman Chase Johnson hit a hard double to left field, dropping right in between the left fielder and the foul line, but the Giants could not convert, with Johnson stranded on second base.
San Marin wasn’t done yet, as they came out on fire in the third inning, scoring a run off a double deep down the third base line. Senior Cole Chamberlain, a University of Texas at Austin commit, hit in another run on a ground ball to first base. Senior Anthony Scheppler, committed to The Ohio State University, followed up by drilling a three-run home run to right field, giving the Mustangs a 5-2 lead. The Giants bounced back with runs batted in by Solle and junior Lucas Ghio, cutting the deficit to one run. However, the Giants stayed cold at the plate the rest of the game, as pitching on both sides was phenomenal. Junior Chas Veley relieved Solle after a difficult showing and finished the job. Trono walked to start the bottom of the fifth. Again, Redwood could not convert with one out and a runner on first base. Despite Veley being lights out for the final 3.1 innings, Redwood’s ice-cold bats mixed with junior Sean McGrath’s outstanding pitching was rough, handing Redwood its third loss of the season. A difficult performance all around left the Giants disappointed. However, they still hold first place in the Marin County Athletic League and hope to close out an extraordinary regular season next week against the Archie Williams Peregrine Falcons.
