MONTEREY — Santa Cruz High’s baseball team has taken some lumps this season, but it’s playing some of its best baseball when it matters most. And, now the Cardinals will play in a Central Coast Section championship game for the first time since 2011.
The No. 2 seed Cardinals produced a four-run first inning and denied Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League crosstown foe Harbor hits in timely situations to pull out a 4-2 win in the CCS Division V semifinals at Sollecito Park on Tuesday.
It was the fourth time in as many meetings this season that the Cardinals (13-13) have beaten the Pirates (17-11-1). The Cardinals’ latest win moved them into a section final for the ninth time.
“It’s hard to beat somebody four times in a season, especially a rival like that,” said Bubba Trumbull, the Cardinals’ head coach. “Fortunately, we put up a number early and made it stand. Our pitching was lights out today. … We survived and moved on, and that’s all we could hope for.”
Santa Cruz, the third-place finisher in the SCCAL, will face No. 1 Capuchino (19-10) in the championship at Excite Ballpark, home of the San Jose Giants, on Thursday at 4 p.m.
The Mustangs, the sixth-place finisher in the Peninsula Athletic League’s Bay Division, edged No. 4 Monterey 4-3 in the other semifinal at Sollecito Park on Tuesday to earn a return trip to the D-V final. They lost 3-0 to Hillsdale in the 2023 championship.
The Cardinals faced the host Mustangs in nonleague action on a freezing night April 3 in San Bruno and suffered a 12-11, walk-off loss in eight innings.
“It has been a rollercoaster of a season,” said Triton Dew, a senior outfielder for the Cardinals. “I’m just thankful, last season, for being able to play with my friends and teammates for as long as possible.”
Harbor was hoping to make its first final since 1987.
The No. 3 Pirates, who qualified for the playoffs with an at-large berth and knocked off No. 6 Piedmont Hills in the quarterfinals, got off to a solid start against the Cardinals. Leadoff hitter Jake Fiorenza singled, stole second and third base, and scored on a wild pitch.
The Cardinals took the lead for good in the bottom of the first, when they erupted for four runs on four hits. Damos DeWorken singled on a ball that was misplayed in centerfield and Dew followed with an RBI triple to left centerfield. Fernando Dacosta followed with an RBI single. Nick Bogomilsky singled to right field and Kaden Smith hit a ground-rule double to left center to drive in DaCosta. Diego Grabiel singled to drive in Bogomilsky, and Harbor starter Colin Karwich retired the final two batters of the inning to strand two runners on base.
“Obviously we got breaks, but it’s a game of moments and you have to take advantage of them,” Dew said. “We got the moment, we were able to put the pressure on, and we were able to get the win.”
Karwich did more than settle down, he allowed just three base runners over the next five innings in his complete-game outing.
“I actually predicted in the first inning that’s the last time they’re going to score,” Pirates coach Joseph Allegri said. “You can quote me on that. I thought we’d score more than two runs, but that’s baseball. You gotta get the clutch hit.”
Winning pitcher Jason Graff threw in the first four innings for the Cardinals, and Owen Rogers pitched three scoreless innings of relief to earn the save.
Graff allowed the leadoff hitter in each of the first four innings to reach base, but the Pirates were only able to capitalize in the first and fourth innings. With Pirates on first and third with one out in the third inning, Graff induced an inning ending double-play ball.
Harbor’s Pierce Fanara led off the fourth with a single, moved to second on Jacob Dangzalan ground out, and scored on Aiden Higgins two-out single to left field.
“We felt like we had enough pieces to take them down,” Fiorenza said. “Unfortunately, first inning got out of our hand. But we battled. We battled hard and nothing more I could ask for from our team.”
The Pirates had runners at second and third with two out in the fifth, but Rogers recorded a strikeout to end the inning. He retired the final seven batters in order.
“Those are those big moments I mentioned,” Dew said. “And in the playoffs, you live by those and you die by those. Today we lived by them, so we’re going to the championship.”
Harbor stranded six runners and Santa Cruz stranded five.
“We let guys on, but when we needed to make a play, we had it in our pocket,” Trumbull said.
Santa Cruz wasn’t the only team with web gem. Fiorenza, the Pirates’ second baseman, made a leaping catch to rob Grabiel of a base hit to shallow right field in the sixth inning.
Fiorenza finished with three steals against Santa Cruz. He finished with 33 steals on the season, a school record during Allegri’s 17-year tenure. Fiorenza, one of 12 seniors, will play next season at Cabrillo College.
Despite suffering the loss, the Pirates had a tremendous season. They started the year at a tournament in Hawaii, earned a win over SCCAL champion Aptos, qualified for the playoffs for a third straight season, and won their first playoff game since 1996.
“I can’t wait to get ready for offseason and get after it for next year,” Allegri said.
THE SCORE
Santa Cruz 4, Harbor 2
Up next: CCS D-V Championship, Santa Cruz vs. Capuchino
When: Thursday, 4 p.m.
Where: Excite Ballpark, San Jose