First-inning eruption fuels West Valley to 9-6 win and Coast-South title

3C2A Baseball: Scoreboard l Standings

SARATOGA - West Valley's afternoon began with a seven-run first-inning explosion and ended with a 6-4-3 double play and the 2024 Coast-South Conference championship. Tuesday's 9-6 win over Highway 17 rival Cabrillo clinched WVC's first conference crown since a 2009 co-championship. The wire-to-wire title run came in Bobby Hill's first year as WVC's coach and improved the Vikings to 30-9, the most wins since the 35-8 2008 final four team.

The day couldn't have started better for the Vikings (30-9, 16-3 Coast-South). 11 Vikings came to the plate in the bottom of the first, paced by leadoff hitter James Bose's triple and double and two RBI. Bose led off with a triple to left-center and would scamper home on an Alan Ramirez double two batters later.

Jayce Dobie ripped a shot over short that drove in Karter Wong and Ramirez and, just like that, WVC was up 3-0. Ryan Lordier singled and, after Degan Davis walked to load the bases, Gabe Tapia drew a four-pitch base on balls that scored Dobie.

Up stepped Bose for the second time in the inning and he ripped a two-run double off the Blue Monster in left for a 7-0 lead and all the runs the Vikings would need. Ultimately, WVC would need every one of those runs.

WVC starter Lincoln Juarez kept the Seahawks (18-20, 11-8) in check, and off the scoreboard, for the first four innings, scattering three hits and setting Cabrillo down in order in the third and fourth. The Seahawks tightened things up with four runs in the fifth, highlighted by a Jacob Pappas three-run homer.

In came WVC reliever Adrian Valdez, who benefitted from a Viking defense that turned a 4-6-3 double play to end the sixth and got back-to-back fly-outs to Wong in left to close out the seventh.

Meanwhile, West Valley added a pair of momentum-regaining insurance runs in the fifth. Lordier led off with a single, stole second and came home on a Davis fielder's choice. Logan Stelling drew a walk, advanced to third on a Dylan Unangst single and then scored on a passed ball for a 9-4 WVC advantage.

Valdez was touched for a trio of eighth-inning singles and a run before making way for Will Pires to close out the ninth. A two-out Matt Morrison single added another Seahawk run and left runners on first and second. The Cabrillo threat, and the game, ended when Bose made a barehanded grab of an Oscar Knapp grounder at short and flipped the ball to Lordier to get Morrison at second. Lordier then fired to Xander Sielken at first for the final out, igniting an exuberant infield dogpile celebration.

Lordier finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Bose was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Dobie had a pair of RBI and Unangst stayed hot with two singles. Juarez picked up the win.

The Vikings close out the regular season Thursday (4/25) against second-place Ohlone (27-12, 14-5) at Valhalla. First pitch is 2:30 pm.

(Matt Folsom, West Valley College Athletics)