Foothill rallies, stuns California to reach NCS Division I final

PLEASANTON >> Survive and advance.

It doesn't get any more simple than that during the North Coast Section baseball playoffs.

For Foothill on Tuesday in the Division I semifinals, it meant an implausible four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings, quickly followed by a bases-loaded walk with no outs in the next frame to pull off a dramatic 7-6 comeback against visiting California.

“Pure Foothill Magic — PFM,” Foothill coach Angelo Scavone said.

“Our dugout and our coaches never had a doubt,” said Foothill junior Brendan Comerford, who ripped a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning and scored the tying run on a two-out, two-strike single by sophomore Nate Novitske. “We were ready to roll. We knew we were going to come back there and put up a fight.”

The top-seeded Falcons (25-4) will next host No. 3 De La Salle (23-6) in Friday's title game, with the first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m.

It's not a secret that Foothill ace Tyler Gebb, who came out of the bullpen to throw 2 2/3 innings of relief for his 14th win of the season, will take the mound against DLS.

“He can go Friday and he told me that he wanted to pitch,” Scavone said.

Gebb, though, wasn't infallible against No. 4 California (23-6), which suffered half of its losses on the road at the Pleasanton campus.

While the 6-foot-3 righthander escaped a basesloaded jam in the top of the sixth, he allowed an RBI double to Long Beach State-bound center fielder Raoul Fabian in the seventh inning, then on the next pitch a two-run blast over the right-field fence to designated hitter Aidan Camberg.

The trio of insurance runs matched the previous three runs produced by the Grizzlies via a tworun blast from catcher Zach Robman, plus a solo shot by Fabian.

“We had that game won and things just didn't go our way,” California coach Dan Ward said. “I told them, `They just made more plays than we did.' That's what it is. It makes you sick to your stomach, but that's what it is.”

He added: “Anything can happen in baseball.”

Comerford delivered what he considers the No. 1 moment of his baseball career for the Falcons with the basesclearing double into right-center with one out in the seventh to cut the deficit to 6-5.

Then it was up to Novitske, who went 2 for 3 with two walks, as Comerford took off on contact after a sharp single up the middle.

Gebb retired the side in order in the top of the eighth, setting up Foothill for a walk-off victory.

Two errors and an infield single loaded up the bases, then senior Gabe DeBenedetto worked a 3-0 count, took a strike, then watched ball four hit the catcher's glove and jogged to first as the rest of the Falcons sprinted out of the dugout to mob him at first base.