CONCORD — There was no shortage of competitive moments during Thursday’s NorCal Division I semifinal game between De La Salle and St. Mary’s-Stockton.
There were intense moments, and at some points, even heated ones. But in a game that featured two of the most storied baseball programs in Northern California, De La Salle found a way to come out on top.
De La Salle, the bracket’s top seed, defeated No. 4 St. Mary’s-Stockton 3-0 at home to advance to the NorCal finals. The Spartans will play No. 3 Serra, which defeated Los Gatos in its semifinal game, on Saturday at home.
De La Salle starting pitcher Graham Schlicht (17) celebrates the last out of their 3-0 win against St. Mary's High of Stockton during their NorCal Division I semifinal game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)Stanford-bound pitcher Graham Schlicht pitched a complete-game shutout and struck out nine in the process. Cal Poly commit Antonio Castro went 2 for 3 and knocked in two runs in the win.
“It was definitely getting chippy. We knew each other. We played each other at the beginning of the season, and they got the best of us,” Castro said. “But we just wanted it more this game, and when you want it more, all the other things like the chippiness in the stands and the chippiness on the field doesn’t matter.
The Spartans are looking for redemption after falling to Granada in last year’s North Coast Section Division I championship as well as the NorCal Division I semifinals. De La Salle captured this year’s NCS Division I title last weekend and are looking to hoist its third NorCal title in four years.
“Not winning last year was one of the worst feelings,” Castro said. “We got our NCS back, but we’re right there for a NorCal, so I want to bring this one home.”
While the runs were few and far between, De La Salle made the most of its opportunities when it counted.
Castro got the Spartans on the board when he knocked in senior Ethan Sullivan from third base on an infield single in the first inning.
Ethan Silva (27) from St. Mary's High of Stockton, is out at second by De La Salle’s Antonio Castro (10) during the fifth inning of their NorCal Division I semifinal game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)De La Salle didn’t put another run on the board until the bottom of the fifth and it was Castro who came up clutch again. With two outs and runners on first and second, Castro hit a line drive double to center field that scored Sam Lakey.
Meanwhile, Schlicht and De La Salle’s rangy defense kept the high-powered St. Mary’s offense at bay.
The first four batters of St. Mary’s lineup went a combined 1 for 10 and reached base just twice.
St. Mary’s best chance to score came in the top of the fifth when the Rams put runners on first and third with no outs to open the inning. De La Salle found a way to retire St. Mary’s next two batters, but found itself in a bases-loaded jam later in the inning.
Schlicht got the Spartans out of the inning when he struck out St. Mary’s final batter to get the Spartans out of the inning without giving up a run.
“I think our entire infield was great,” Schlicht said. “For me, I was trying to turn some balls and give them a chance at double plays.”
De La Salle starting pitcher Graham Schlicht (17) pitches against St. Mary's High of Stockton during the second inning of their NorCal Division I semifinal game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)De La Salle scored its final run in the sixth inning after Niko Baumgartner scored from third on a wild pitch. Schlicht then retired the side in the bottom of the seventh to push De La Salle into the NorCal finals.
The Spartans showed composure throughout all seven innings of Thursday’s game. The game had its fair share of gamesmanship and heated moments, but De La Salle wasn’t thrown off.
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De La Salle needs just one more win to reach the NorCal mountain top. The Spartans played Serra at the Scott Boras Classic in April and came out with a 5-2 win behind a four-run seventh inning.
“Serra swings the bat really well. They have speed and they steal bases like no other,” Jeans said. “The coach over there is doing a great job with those guys and they’re senior heavy. The game plan is I don’t know. I’m gonna enjoy this one tonight and I’ll make plans tomorrow morning.”
Ethan Silva (27) from St. Mary's High of Stockton, is tagged out at second by De La Salle’s Antonio Castro (10) during the fifth inning of their NorCal Division I semifinal game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Adam Stockman (4) from St. Mary's High of Stockton, is out at second by De La Salle’s Tyler Spangler (22) during the fifth inning of their NorCal Division I semifinal game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) De La Salle’s Niko Baumgartner (21) scores on a wild pitch against St. Mary's High of Stockton during the sixth inning of their NorCal Division I semifinal game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) De La Salle starting pitcher Graham Schlicht (17) throws out Marcus Mickle (24) from St. Mary's High of Stockton during the seventh inning of their NorCal Division I semifinal game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) De La Salle starting pitcher Graham Schlicht (17) reacts after the last out of the sixth inning of their NorCal Division I semifinal game against St. Mary's High of Stockton at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) De La Salle starting pitcher Graham Schlicht (17) exhales after striking out a batter from St. Mary's High of Stockton during the second inning of their NorCal Division I semifinal game at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., on Thursday, June 5, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) Read More Details
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