Surging Redwood keeps finding ways to win
At this time of year, you'll take wins any way you can get 'em, said RedwoodLarkspur baseball coach Mike Firenzi.
Lately, his Giants have been squeaking out victories, including Friday's 3-2 North Coast Section Division 2 quarterfinal decision at home against Petaluma.
Down 2-1 in the sixth inning, second-seed Redwood (25-3) got RBI singles from freshman Chase Johnson to tie the score and Marin County Athletic League MVP Theo Trono to go ahead. Matthew Knauer pitched a spotless seventh for the save, giving Redwood its third straight one-run win. It advanced to a 5 p.m. Wednesday semifinal at home against thirdseed Ukiah (17-7).
It was the fourth one-run win of the year for Firenzi's young squad — there are only four seniors on the 20person roster. The Giants also have two two-run victories, along with three 10run-rule victories. They've outscored opponents 19074.
They're trying to at least match the 27-win plateau of the 2015 Redwood team for the most in Firenzi's 30year career, which features 13 MCAL and five NCS titles. The former Marin Catholic-Kentfield coach surpassed his mentor, the late Al Andriss, in 2022 to become the all-time Marin County prep leader in wins with 473.
Firenzi, whose career record is 534-206, considers this season's team one of his most balanced. The Giants carry a .340 batting average, led by Trono (.438, 35 hits, six doubles, four triples) and a 1.80 ERA, carried by UCLA-bound Rex Solle (6-2, 2.33 ERA, 55 strikeouts, 35 hits allowed).
“These guys play with great fundamentals: They pitch well, really hit the ball and play excellent defense,” Firenzi said. “Plus, they just have a knack to win. Whether by 10 runs or one run, they get it done.”
After going 19-10 last season with a group of largely freshmen and sophomores, Firenzi, in his 10th year at Redwood (he's a 1983 graduate of the school), had a good feeling about these Giants. That optimism turned downright rosy in the first couple of weeks.
“When I saw us getting 12 or 13 hits a game and the 78-9 guys in the lineup were producing, I realized this is not a normal high school lineup,” he said. “We're not a big power team, but hit the ball to the gaps and utilize team speed.”
Sophomore Jack Moseley (.345) leads the Giants with 31 RBIs and Solle (.368) has driven in 20. Gavin Soper (.341), Matthew Knauer (.351) and TJ Beck (.339) also have been solid producers at the plate. Jack Gurley (0.57 ERA), Chas Veley (1.02) and Knauer (1.52) are a combined 11-0 on the mound.
More NCS baseball: Top junior prospect Alec Blair blasted two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs Friday in De La Salle-Concord's 13-3 D1 quarterfinal win over Heritage-Brentwood. The Spartans (19-6) host College Park-Pleasant Hill (19-7) in a semifinal Tuesday. … The other D1 semifinal is topseed Granada (27-1), which got a home run from Quinn Boyd in an 11-1 win over James Logan-Union City, hosting fourth-seed Acalanes (23-3), a 1-0 winner over Casa Grande-Petaluma on an RBI single from Gavin Bender and a combined six-hitter from Henry Souza and Peter Thorn.
Central Coast Section baseball: St. Ignatius senior Will Siwinski, with some seventh-inning help from sophomore Archer Horn, silenced Serra with a combined three-hitter in a 2-0 Central Coast Section Division 1 quarterfinal win Friday. Evann Smith, Emmett Johnson, Horn and Rocco Giometti had two hits apiece for the Wildcats (19-9), who moved into Wednesday's semifinal against Carmel (23-5) at Excite Ballpark. Serra (22-7) came in averaging better than 10 runs per game at home. … Top-seed Valley Christian (27-4) plays fifthseed Mitty (17-12-2) immediately following the St. Ignatius-Carmel game at Excite.
NCS softball: Savannah Page drilled a three-run homer and Madison Tuttle had three hits as seventhseed Liberty-Brentwood (20-3) downed No. 2 Vintage-Napa 8-3 in D1 quarterfinal play. The Lions travel to third-seed College Park (14-8), a 5-1 winner over Granada, in a Tuesday semifinal. … The other D1 semifinal pits fourth-seed Amador Valley-Pleasanton (1411) against No. 1 CaliforniaSan Ramon (18-8) at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
CCS softball:Hayden Hummel blasted her ninth home run and Jaime Oakland and Rebecca Quinn each drove in three runs in leading St. Francis (26-0), the state's top-ranked team, to an 11-1 Open Division quarterfinal win last week. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, St. Francis faces Willow GlenSan Jose (22-6) in a semifinal game at Los Gatos High School. … The other semifinal pits defending champion Hollister (22-3) against third-seed Mitty (22-3) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Salinas Sports Complex. Mitty beat Los Gatos 4-0 last week on a two-hitter from Kyleigh Mace, who struck out seven and walked one.