Aptos ousted by reigning champ Valley Christian
Mariners support UCSB bound Moring in his final high school start
SAN JOSE >> Junior relief pitcher Gabe Gaeckle didn't wait until the end of the game to let starting senior pitcher Reed Moring know what he meant to Aptos High's baseball team Saturday in the Central Coast Section quarterfinals.
Pulled after 4 1/3 innings with a couple of Valley Christian runners on base, Moring was hugged by Gaeckle shortly after he walked off the mound. Other Mariners followed suit before Moring reached the dugout. It may not have been the outing Moring envisioned, but his teammates and coaches would agree, it was a heck of a season and career.
Moring, a right-hander who will compete for NCAA Division I UC Santa Barbara next season, is one of only a handful of pitchers in the CCS to record 100-plus strikeouts this season. He recorded just one strikeout and was charged with four runs in the No. 7 seed Mariners' 5-2 loss to the No. 2 Warriors, a 10-time section champion who showed a penchant for putting the ball in play.
“I came out trying to do my best,” Moring said. “These guys got the better of me. It's alright, I did what I could.”
Moring was touched by his teammates' and fans' response when he exited the mound.
“Yeah, obviously it catches me by surprise, knowing I get a standing ovation,” he said. “Yeah, I realize it's my last game, so it was very emotional for me, for sure.”
The Warriors (24-6-1), winner of four straight CCS titles, face No. 3 Palo Alto (25-5), an 11-10 winner over No. 6 Carlmont, in Wednesday's semifinal at Excite Ballpark in San Jose at 4 p.m. No. 1 St. Francis (274) of Mountain View and No. 4 Bellarmine (22-8-1) of San Jose square off in the other semifinal at Excite at 7 p.m.
Moring, who recorded a combined 28 strikeouts against two walks in his previous two outings, both complete games, walked two of the first four Warriors he faced. Val
ley Christian had the bases loaded twice in the first inning but only emerged with one run on the scoreboard.
The Warriors made it 2-0 in the second inning and 4-0 in the fifth. Leadoff hitter Hunter Fujimoto and No. 8 hitter Jaden Bitter each had a pair of hits and scored twice. Easton Kreshel also scored a run in the fifth inning, when the Warriors stole three bases.
Aptos (23-8), the repeat Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League champion, scrapped for runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
“We got something,” Moring said of winning the SCCAL regular season and tournament titles. “I got to play a great season with my boys. It's a great group of guys. I was pumped to play with these guys. Being such a dominant team is league is super cool. Coming here into CCS, Division I, all eyes on us. It's a pretty cool feeling.”
Winning pitcher Michael Castaneda gave up one run on five hits over six innings.
“Stellar, best outing I've ever seen,” Fujimoto said. “It was a great outing. He kept his pitch count low, got a lot of strikes, got a lot of ground balls, weak contact.”
Said Mariners cleanup hitter James Craig: “He was definitely hittable, but we just weren't barreling the ball. A lot of foul balls.”
Senior first baseman Jack Spinelli doubled in the first inning and walked in the fourth. He was the only Mariner to reach base twice. No. 8 hitter San Chitwood singled and scored in the sixth, and Craig doubled and scored on a throwing error in the seventh.
The Mariners turned in a pair of defensive gems to help stay within striking range. Gaeckle, while playing third base in the fourth inning, fielded a laser off Bitter's bat and tagged out PJ Mountzouridis as he dove back into third, and fired across the diamond to Spinelli to complete the double play.
In the sixth, Moring, playing shortstop, made a diving tag to record the out on pinch runner Joshua Minami as he dove into home plate at the end of a lengthy pickle. Tatum Marsh reached base on a fielder's choice on the play.
“We played good baseball,” Mariners coach Jason Biancardi said. “We could've played better, but, you know what, I'm proud of the guys.”
It was the second straight season that Moring and the Mariners faced Valley Christian to open the playoffs. A tough draw indeed. The Mariners lost 10-1 in last year's quarterfinals.
Moring entered the game with a minuscule 0.93 ERA over 52 2/3 innings, with 101 strikeouts against 13 walks. He gave up just 28 hits and seven earned runs in the regular season.
“He didn't have his best stuff today,” Biancardi said, “but he battled, like he always does.”*