The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Aquinas is edged by Fullerton in Division 4 semifinal round
SAN BERNARDINO >> No seed is no problem for the Fullerton High School baseball team.
Fullerton traveled to top-seeded San Bernardino Aquinas and, despite a failed suicide squeeze attempt, earned a 6-4 victory Tuesday over the Falcons, who earned the top seed in CIF Southern Section Division 4 and had entered the game with a 13-game winning streak.
Fullerton (24-7), which also defeated fourth-seeded Corona Santiago and fifth-seeded Tahquitz in the previous two rounds, will play the winner of the Tesoro-el Modena semifinal in the championship this weekend.
With the score tied at 4 in top of the fifth, Fullerton coach Shaun Hill called on first baseman Jeremy Maldonado for a suicide squeeze. Maldonado failed to put the ball in play. Aquinas catcher Josh Cunnigan threw to Cade Nolan at third, and Zach Fany beat the return home to score the go-ahead run.
The opinion about the play differed between Hill and Aquinas coach Mike Carpentier, who guided Aquinas to a 28-3 record in his third year as the Falcons coach.
“Zach used a swim move to avoid the tag,” Hill said.
Carpentier said he was certain Cunnigan tagged Fany before he reached the plate.
“Today might have been the worst game we played all season,” Carpentier said. “We made four errors and only had three hits. You can’t win a game like that, but I would go to battle with these guys any time. We started only one senior today, and people are going to hear from Aquinas.”
Aquinas scored three runs in the bottom of the first. Landon Young singled to right and moved to second on Eric Bitonti’s walk. Nate Christman reached on an error to load the bases.
Seth Rajacich singled sharply with a hit that knocked Fullerton pitcher Kyle Kim’s glove off, scoring Young. Bitondi scored on a fielder’s choice and Rajacich scored on an error.
Fullerton posted two runs in the second inning, as shortstop Matt Kim and Connor Sunderland each drove in runs. Aquinas added a run in the fourth when DH Jonathan Schmidt scored on a fielder’s choice. Fullerton scored two fifth-inning runs prior to the suicide aqueeze attempt.
“We’ve come from behind all playoffs and we don’t get scared,” Hill said. “We knew they were really good, but we told our kids if we play defense and pitch well, they would win.”
The last time Fullerton won a section title was in 1978. The most famous baseball player to attend Fullerton was Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson, who is second in alltime wins with 411. The high school opened in 1893.