Plus, scores from around the Foothill League
Going into the seventh inning, the West Ranch Wildcats held a 2-1 lead over the Saugus Centurions. And following a line out from Centurions’ Zack Seely, the Wildcats looked poised to come away with the road win.
But after Centurions Max Lee and Nicholas Zepeda got on base, Josh Murphy hit a one-run single to tie the game at 2 apiece.
The Centurions walked off the Wildcats after Abraham Ramirez hit a single up the middle and drove in the game-winning run and completed the come-from-behind 3-2 win at home.
After the game, Ramirez spoke on his walk-off hit and how although the moment itself was stressful, he stepped into it with one goal in mind – deliver the win.
“Going into that at bat, I knew it was a huge moment. My heartbeat was through the roof, and I told myself, ‘Calm down and control the controllables,’” he said. “When I saw the first-pitch ball, I knew my timing was on and saw a pitch up, swung and got my hands though it and got the base hit up the middle for the game-winning run.”
For Saugus head coach Mike Miller, the seventh inning was an example of the “family” mentality that the Centurions have at their ball club.
Miller added after the game that a lot of players, who don’t usually get a lot of playing time, delivered timely hits, like Murphy’s game-tying hit.
“We’re family, and we all believe in each other, and we had lot of people coming up in spots they haven’t been there all year, and they came through in the last inning,” he said.
On the mound, Gavin Diaz held the Wildcats to just two runs across five innings of work. And in the sixth inning, Diaz was relieved by Noah Garcia, who held the Wildcats scoreless in the final two frames.
Miller said that Diaz pitched great throughout the game, and Garcia came in and helped keep the Centurions in the game.
“Gavin just pitched really good again. And he’s been doing it for us all year,” he said. “And Noah, he just goes out there and compete at the highest level and we all trust him.”
The Centurions improved to 5-2 in Foothill League play and are tied for second in the league standings with West Ranch and Castaic.
The series finale between the Centurions and Wildcats is on Thursday at West Ranch High School with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
After Tuesday’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Castaic 5, Valencia 3: After the Valencia Vikings (6-8-1, 1-3-1) took a two-run lead after the first inning, the Castaic Coyotes (10-7, 5-2) won in come-from-behind fashion after a four-run fourth inning.
For Castaic, Aiden Arroyo had the biggest day at the plate as he went 2-for-3 with a double and run batted in.
Valencia senior Zach Davis had the biggest day for the Vikings as he hit a home run, drove in three runs, and went 1-for-3.
The series between the Coyotes and Vikings concludes on Thursday at Valencia High School with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Hart 5, Golden Valley 1: Following a win over the Golden Valley Grizzlies (7-7, 0-5), the Hart Hawks (8-8-1, 4-0-1) remain unbeaten in Foothill League play.
On the mound, Malachi Wobrock started for the Hawks and threw a complete game for Hart as he struck out 14 and allowed one run.
At the plate, five different Hawks drove in a run as the lineup tallied six hits across seven innings.
The series between the Hawks and Grizzlies picks back up on Thursday at Hart High School with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Photos below from the Centurions’ win over Saugus:
