Citrus Valley rallies past Yucaipa to clinch Citrus Belt League title

The easy narrative would be that the Citrus Valley baseball team managed to secure the program’s first Citrus Belt League championship since 2017 with a come-from-behind 6-4 win over Yucaipa on Wednesday afternoon.

The actual story is more complicated, as both teams received gritty performances from their starting pitchers.

Citrus Valley’s Kade Finazzo allowed four runs over the first two innings, but he bounced back and finished with five scoreless innings. Then Finazzo’s teammates scored four times in the seventh inning to win the game.

“All year I have had rough starts,” Finazzo said. “I knew my boys would come back. I wanted to lock in and put zeros on the board.”

Mario Gonzalez pitched well for Yucaipa, limiting the Blackhawks to two runs during the first six innings.

Citrus Valley (16-8 overall, 11-3 in CBL) scored twice in the fourth inning with a two-out rally. Matthew Bline tripled to right-center and scored on Ryan Rossi’s double to center. Rossi later scored on Jacob Cook’s single.

Gonzalez, a senior right-hander, allowed two baserunners in the fifth and sixth innings but closed out Citrus Valley.

Another factor was that Citrus Valley got bunts down successfully, while Yucaipa (14-10-1, 9-5) could not.

Angel Perez started Citrus Valley’s half of the seventh with a walk and moved to second on a single by Keenan Nadeau. Perez scored when Bline singled to right. Freshman Dorian Valencia replaced Gonzalez and intentionally walked Rossi. Cook forced Rossi out at second base, but a pair of runs scored on a wild return throw to first.

Cole West singled and pinch-hitter Adrian Abarca walked to load the bases. Citrus Valley coach Jon Austin sent a second pinch-hitter, sophomore Nathan Stamper, to bat. Stamper executed a squeeze bunt to bring home an insurance run.

“When the coach told me to bunt, the only thing I thought of was to get the runner home,” Stamper said. “Everybody knew I was going to bunt.”

Yucaipa put the tying runners on base in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Jordan Headley and Wes Hickey singled. Finazzo threw a high pitch and Damien Cordero bunted the ball in the air to Finazzo. The senior right-hander then retired the final two batters to clinch the victory.

“One reason we have been successful this season is that every part of our lineup has contributed,” Austin said.

Yucaipa, which had won five consecutive Citrus Belt League crowns, placed second this season despite starting freshmen at shortstop (Cordero) and catcher (Derick Kim), and losing the team’s top pitcher last season and the first part of this season (Noah Reimer) for the second half of the season with an oblique injury.

“Our kids answered the bell,” Yucaipa coach Ralph Grajeda said. “I’m very proud of our team and our future looks good.”

TERRY PIERSON — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Citrus Valley players celebrate after defeating Yucaipa 6-4 to win the Citrus Belt League championship on Wednesday.