Castaic’s Darrell Davis had one goal in mind that he wanted his Coyotes to accomplish in the regular season in his final year – win a Foothill League title. And following a thrilling 9-8 win over the Hart Hawks on Friday, the Coyotes are one step closer.
“We knew it was going to be a battle from the get-go. I’m just so proud of my boys,” Davis said. “Right now, we’re sitting in first place tied with West Ranch. Our work isn’t done yet. We got Canyon the next two games. And if we win those, we’re champions of the Foothill League.”
The Coyotes (17-8, 7-3), who entered Friday’s matchup tied for second in the baseball Foothill League standings with Saugus, needed a win to at least remain in contention for a share of the title.
But after an upset at Golden Valley High School that saw the Grizzlies secure a win over the Centurions, the Coyotes knew during the game that a win over Hart (10-13-1, 5-4-1) would propel them to first.
With the game against the Hawks tied at six apiece going into the seventh, the Coyotes rallied and took a three-run lead following a one-run single from Brandon Grzelkowska and a two-run double from Nathan Dudra.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Hawks rallied and added two runs but fell to the Coyotes after Castaic’s Matthew Gonzalez secured the save for the win.
After the game, Davis said Dudra and Grzelkowska stepped up and had timely at bats late in the game to hand the Coyotes the lead and ultimately secure the win.
“Dudra is a kid that has worked his butt off to be in the lineup and every time he gets in the lineup, he has produced for us,” Davis said. “Brandon has been a guy who has come off the bench for us. We had a couple of injuries, but he had the opportunity to get in there to play and do his thing.”
With the win, the Coyotes are tied for first place with the Wildcats with a 7-3 league record.
If the Coyotes secure the series sweep over the Canyon Cowboys in the final week of the season, the Coyotes will secure at least a share of the league title.
But if the Wildcats drop one game against the Hawks, then the Coyotes will be outright league champions for the first time in school history.
“Our work isn’t done yet. I’m hoping Friday afternoon the work will be done,” he said. “West Ranch has got to play [Hart] and that’s going to be a hell of a series, too.”
The Coyotes play their final series of the season beginning on Wednesday against the Cowboys at Castaic High School with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
The loss dropped the Hawks to fourth in the league standings with a 5-4-1 record. The Hawks remain tied with the Valencia Vikings in the standings and will have a tough matchup in the final week of the regular season as team matches up with the first-place Wildcats.
The matchup between the Hawks and West Ranch begins on Wednesday with coach Trevor Brown returning to his alma mater at Hart High School, leading the Wildcats with firstpitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
After Friday’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Valencia 3, Canyon 0: The Valencia Vikings (10-13-1, 5-4-1) kept their postseason hopes alive following a win over the Cowboys (8-15, 0-10).
The Vikings enter the final week of the regular season tied for fourth in the Foothill League standings and will look to build upon their momentum against the Golden Valley Grizzlies.
The matchup between the Vikings and Grizzlies begins on Wednesday at Golden Valley High School while the Cowboys will look to rebound against the Coyotes at Castaic High School.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
Golden Valley 3, Saugus 0: For the first time since 2023, the Grizzlies (13-10, 3-7) secured a win over the Centurions (12-12, 8-4) at home Friday.
Grizzlies Aiden Kane and Charlie Butts combined and pitched a complete-game shutout and will lead Golden Valley to its next matchup against Valencia at home on Wednesday.
As for Saugus, the Centurions end the league season with an 8-4 record and third place in the standings.
