Mcneely shows grit, helps Centennial beat Santiago
Centennial High senior southpaw Jaden Mcneely has a no-hitter and a one-hitter on his career resume.
And yet, Huskies coach Ryan Simpson believes Monday afternoon’s effort ranks among the finest of Mcneely’s career.
Mcneely ran into a jam in the bottom of the third inning, but he escaped with minimal damage and picked up the win as Centennial went up the road and defeated Rimpau Avenue rival Santiago 7-2 in a Big VIII League baseball opener.
“I told him after the game, ‘The box score might not be as pretty as you’re accustomed to, but this still was an impressive performance,’” Simpson said. “He faced adversity, but he was able to dig down deep and find a way to get that win.”
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Santiago (6-4) got on the scoreboard first, as second baseman Austin Gamell stole third and scored on an error on the same play in the bottom of the second. Mcneely avoided further damage with a fly out and strikeout to end the frame.
Centennial (7-1) sent 10 batters to the plate and took the lead with five runs during the top of the third. The Huskies opened the frame with three straight singles, and Aiden Simpson’s knock to right field that brought home Isaiah Padilla with the tying run. Espn Simpson singled home the go-ahead run. Centennial tacked on two more runs with no outs when Wyatt Arellano was plunked and Michael Malki drew a walk, both coming with the bases loaded. Michael Norris drove in the final run of the third inning for the Huskies, a ground ball that scored Espn Simpson.
Santiago looked for an immediate response and loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half of the third inning following singles by Logan Clear and Chris Ramirez and a walk to Barrett Ronson. Mcneely’s pitch count was soaring, but he limited the damage to a single run after getting Jesse Kneip to bounce into a double play and striking out Gamell.
“I just focused on pounding the zone and making them swing the bat,” said Mcneely, who has signed with St. Mary’s. “I was throwing a lot of balls today, and they (the Sharks) had some great at-bats by fouling off a lot of pitches. I just tried to be a little more efficient when the bases were loaded. I wanted to get a ground ball. That double play helped.”
Santiago coach Ty De Trinidad said the final outcomes by both teams in the third inning was the difference Monday.
“We had a good chance to jump right back in it if we could get two, maybe three runs, in that inning,” De Trinidad said. “It was a missed opportunity by us, but credit to him (Mcneely) for throwing the right pitches when he needed to.”
Mcneely made it through the fourth and fifth innings on a combined 24 pitches to record his second win of the year. Mcneely allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and finished the afternoon with six strikeouts and three walks.
“I am just looking to come out and help set the tone, not just for the day but for the entire week,” Mcneely said about being the team’s Monday starter in these league series. “It’s a really big honor to be given that responsibility.”
Santiago freshman Dylan Padilla was strong in relief, keeping the Huskies from scoring again until the seventh inning.
“Dylan helped keep us in this game,” De Trinidad said, “but we just couldn’t get much going with our bats today.”
Centennial added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh, including a suicide squeeze bunt dropped down by Adam Magday.
Dylan Retzlaff pitched the final two innings for Centennial and allowed only one hit to pick up the save.
Espn Simpson and Padilla each had two hits for Centennial, and Clear registered a pair of hits for Santiago.
The teams will continue the series this afternoon at Centennial and Friday afternoon back at Santiago.