Lowell continues domination of S.F. Section
In a season of mash, Lowell baseball coach Daryl Semien warned there would be days like this: injuries, tough calls and an inspired foe.
Instead of wilting, the Cardinals went next man up and just kept on winning — their second straight, 23rd overall and ninth San Francisco Section/Academic Athletic Association title in 10 years with a 3-0 championship game victory Monday over Lincoln at Oracle Park.
In a three-pitch sequence in the top of the third, Lowell (21-5-1) lost both starting catcher Mateo Batican (dislocated thumb on his glove hand) and pitching ace Finean Hunter-Kenney (arm strain). And they were going up against a vastly improved Mustangs squad that started the season 0-8 and had lost three previous games to Lowell 13-2, 10-0 and 16-0. Lowell had won 17 straight games versus AAA opponents coming in by a cumulative 205-6 score.
So the Cardinals found themselves in something of a dogfight on Monday. But thanks to four innings of spotless relief by Hiroki Aoshima and some terrific defensive work by thirdstring catcher Luca Tieman, the Cardinals pulled off a victory. The Cardinals also got two clutch hits, an RBI and tough defense by senior third baseman Roman Fong and a key double by his brother, sophomore second baseman Reggie Fong.
It all helped to negate a stellar pitching performance from Lincoln junior Branson Derrington, who allowed just one earned run and four hits over 4 innings and struck out the side in the first inning. That was against a Lowell offense that had averaged nearly nine runs and 10 hits per game, 15 of which were stopped early by the 10run mercy rule.
Lowell will attempt to defend its Northern California Division 5 title next week.
“We’ll take it,” Semien said. “You work for these games when things don’t go quite right. We were prepared. The boys never quit. They never took their foot off the gas. I’m proud of them.”
When Aoshima induced a flyout to left fielder Sebastian Sanner for the final out, the familiar Lowell group celebration around the mound ensued, followed by a jog around the perimeter of the Giants’ home field.
It was particularly moving for Aoshima, who retired the last 11 in order, allowing just one hit to improve to 8-2 with a 1.42 ERA. He was one of eight seniors who led the Cardinals’ offseason workout regimen that Semien credited for his success.
The Giants organization has donated its home field for the AAA’s annual championship game for more than three decades. A big Giants fan, Aoshima said he normally watches games from the bleachers, so to be in the middle of the diamond was “unreal,” he said.
“Being on a majorleague field, on the mound, it was like a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. “Especially as a high schooler. I was full of excitement and stress and adrenaline — everything.”
Semien reflected, “It’s not often you lose your starting battery on three pitches. But it makes it a little easier when you can turn the ball over to a kid like Hiroki. He never wavered.”
Four-year starter Liam Mahoney, who was forced from his regular duties at catcher to designated hitter all season due to a shoulder injury, caught the final inning and gave Aoshima a giant bear hug near the mound after the final out.
“It never gets old,” Mahoney said of the celebration. “We had a lot of unfortunate things happen in the game, but we kept going.”