Napa pulls Big Game upset over Vintage behind Gonzalez’s best start of season
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Upsets are what make sports beautiful.
Well, in Wednesday’s first Big Game baseball an upset of all upsets happened as the Napa High baseball team beat Vintage 4-1.
“I thought Napa High out competed us, out hustled us, and out executed us, so when that happens you usually lose,” Vintage coach Rich Anderson said following the game.
It’s a win that that makes Napa coach Jason Chatham very happy.
“This is a mixture of excitement and relief,” he said. “Excitement because it’s Big Game and it means a lot to our kids, and it means a lot to our fans, and it means a lot to our campus, and Big Game lives forever.”
The win is also Chatham’s first as coach of the program.
The first run of the game was scored by Napa in the fifth inning (1-12 overall, 1-3 Vine Valley Athletic League). After singling, Lucas Brandon came home on a Lewis Ballard squeeze bunt.
“It was a squeeze (bunt),” Chatham explained of the Grizzlies first run. “The pitch was a little bit up and in, he almost had to defend himself.” The Grizzlies scored two more runs in the sixth inning. Cole Kipsey walked and scored on a wild pitch. Then Dylan Foster drew a walk, before being pinch ran for by Anthony Toscano. Toscano later scored when Omar Gonzalez singled.
Vintage (4-6, 1-2 VVAL) pushed their only run of the game across in bottom of the sixth. After doubling Harrison Kohagura scored on a sacrifice fly by Eli Wood.
Napa was able to score on more run in the top of the seventh. After singling, Sean Lowe came into score on a sacrifice fly by Cole Kipsey.
Napa starter Omar Gonzalez was dominant on the day, as he recorded the win in a complete game effort. In 80 pitches Gonzalez struck out six and walked one, all while allowing one earned run.
“Fantastic,” Anderson said of Gonzalez’s game. “He’s very poised, had great rhythm, kept people off balance all game long, very impressive.”
“Omar was phenomenal today, the best I’ve ever seen him,” Chatham added.
Eli Wood took the loss for Vintage. Over 5 and ⅔ innings of work he struck out nine and walked three. Wood ended the day with 94 pitches.
“Eli pitched great,” Anderson said of his ace.
Napa will be back in action today when the visit Foothill-Pleasanton in the first round of the Big O Classic at noon. Vintage will be back in action on today when they visit Casa Grande-Petaluma at 4 p.m.
