Napa uses aggressive approach at plate to get offense going to beat Justin-Siena, pick up first league win
By Kyle Foster
Follow on Twitter/X: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Just when you think a baseball series is predictable, it’s not. Baseball is and will always be the hardest game to have any idea of what’s going to happen.
On Thursday afternoon at Mount Field, this was precisely what happened when Napa beat Justin-Siena, 5-3, for their first Vine Valley Athletic League win of the season.
Napa (7-12 overall, 1-9 VVAL) had a good day offensively. They found themselves down 2-0 entering the third where they got a run back. It all started when Mason Bartlett walked and got to second on a wild pitch. A single by Drew Herbert moved Bartlett to third before he scored on a wild pitch.
The Grizzlies took a 3-2 lead in the fourth when Logan Draper singled and Camden Aldous doubled down the left field line to put runners on second and third. A single by Dylan Chatham brought in Draper and Aldous.
Napa scored their final two runs of the game in the fifth when Collin Taylor, Adams, and Diego Hernandez singled to load the sacks. Taylor and Adams came in when Draper sent a double down the left-field line.
Leading the Grizzlies’ offensive attack were Taylor (3-for-4 run), Herbert (2-for-4), Draper (2-for-3 double, run, 2 RBI)Chatham (1-for-2 walk, RBI), Adams (1-for-4 run), and Hernandez (1-for-4).
Yet, the main reason why Napa was able to put up so many runs in the game was their aggressive approach at the plate.
“Yeah, it was talked about,” Draper explained of the offensive game plan. “We wanted to look, first pitch strike. And another thing we had a problem with before is watching the second strike. They would just attack (and) get the swing out there. So I thought we did pretty good on that today.”
All day, they were looking for a first-pitch strike to hit. It didn’t matter the pitcher either.
“I mean, we’ve been preaching aggression all year to our hitters,” Napa High interim head coach Dustin Green explained. “Everet’s a good pitcher and we had an idea that the ball is going to be around the zone. At this point of the year, we’ve pretty much got nothing to lose so we’ve been telling our boys ‘Just let it rip man. Be aggressive.’ And they executed that today.”
Justin-Siena (11-6, 4-4 VVAL) opened up the scoring with a run in the first. Everet Johnson was hit by a pitch and got to second on a wild pitch. A single by Jake Fletcher brought in Johnson from second base.
Then, they added another tally in the second. Henry Meyers doubled to right field and later scored when Ben Sebastiani sent a double into the left-center gap.
The Braves scored their only other run in the game in the sixth when Fletcher walked and got to third on a Luke Giusto single. In the next at-bat, Fletcher scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Sam Denkin.
Leading the Justin-Siena offense in the game was Fletcher (2-for-3 walk, run, RBI), Meyers (1-for-3 double, run), Sebastiani (1-for-3 double, RBI), Braeden Butler (1-for-3), Giusto (1-for-4), and Noah Giovannelli (1-for-4).
One of the reasons the Braves were still in the game and had other chances to score in the contest was due to the bottom half of their order. All day long, they set the table for the main bats to do some damage.
“We talk a lot about having those guys being extenders extending at-bats, extending rallies, turning the lineup over,” Justin-Siena head coach Jeremy Tayson explained of the bottom part of the lineup’s importance. “So for them to come in and do that kind of stuff, it’s just a testament to their work and their skill set.”
Getting the win in the game was Trent Adams. He threw a complete game where he allowed 3 runs to score, with 2 of them being earned. In the game, he also struck out 6 and walked 2. He also threw 114 pitches on the way to getting his second winning decision of the season.
“He wants the ball,” Green said of Adams’s bulldog mentality on the bump. “He’s always been like that. He’s excited to pitch. Our pitching coaches today saw it in the bullpen early before the game. They said he’s out for blood today. Not only does he look good, but he looks great.”
The senior was able to keep batters guessing all day thanks to a solid four-seam fastball and a nice curveball.
“Honestly, it was a lot of fastballs,” Adams said of his game plan on the hill. “And we knew they couldn’t really hit the off-speed. So I worked on it all day yesterday and I just threw as hard as I can.”
Taking the loss in the game was Johnson. He worked 4 ⅓ innings while striking out 5 and walking 2. The righty also gave up 5 earned runs, but 3 were earned. He threw 70 pitches and allowed 8 hits as well.
Griffin Messenger worked the final 1 ⅔ innings striking out 4 and walking just 1. He allowed 3 hits and threw 37 pitches.
With the win, Napa and Justin-Siena have split the season series 4 times in the 5 years they’ve been in the VVAL. The only time there has been a sweep in the league was in 2021 when Justin-Siena won both games. The one thing that is different about this split is that it is the first time Napa has defended their home field in league series history.
“We always have great games against these guys,” Green said of the good rivalry. “Tuesday was a little more lopsided, but almost every time we played these guys, it’s just an absolute dogfight. We’re very evenly matched with them. They are a great team. It’s always fun playing those guys and wish them luck the rest of the way.”
Every year, this is the season series that no one can seem to figure out why each team beats each other.
“We never overlooked Napa or anyone in this league,” Tayson said of the rivalry. “We have a lot of respect for them. It kind of seems like every time we play them, it’s this kind of game. So certainly we’re not surprised. There’s a lot of pride here in this valley and in the Napa High program and they’re definitely not one to ever, ever overlook.”
It’s also a very important win for the Grizzlies as it is their first win of the league season, one that they needed.
“This is a huge win,” Draper said of the importance of finally getting a league win. “We needed this. I mean, it was just the perfect game. We did great. Especially Trent on the mound and the defense backed us up. And hopefully, we’ll carry this momentum in the next week facing Vintage.”
Both teams will continue league play next week. Justin-Siena will visit Casa Grande in Petaluma on Tuesday at 4 pm. As for Napa, they have a non-league game at 6:30 pm on Friday against Wheatland at Sutter Health Park, the home of the Sacramento River Cats, and then will host Vintage in the first Big Game on Tuesday at 4 pm.
In other VVAL games on Thursday, Casa Grande beat Petaluma 5-2 and Sonoma Valley beat American Canyon 8-5.
