MONTECITO, Calif. - After defeating the Otters of Cal State Monterey Bay (37-17) by a score of 8-1 today at the NCAA Division II Baseball West Regional, Westmont Baseball (43-12) is just one win away from advancing to next week’s Super Regional. The Warriors and Otters will meet again tomorrow to decide whose season is done, and who is moving on.
The first game tomorrow is at 11:00 a.m. If the Warriors prevail, the tournament is over and Westmont will play next week at a site and opponent to be determined. If the Otters win, a second game will be needed to determine the two teams’ fates. That game will follow the first.
Senior Bryan Peck took the mound for the Warriors and improved his record to 8-1 on the season. He pitched six and one-third innings, allowing one run on five hits. Peck struck out four and issued two walks.
In the second inning, Peck, who is already the Westmont career record holder for wins (33) and strikeouts (324), added another career record to his resume. He now sits atop the list for most innings pitched at 351 1/3.
“It is a cool thing to have,” said Peck of the newly minted record. “It was on my docket a while ago. I could not have done it without the coaches I have had and the teammates I have had too. We don’t get any of that without having good teams around me and going as far as we have gone the last few years.”
“Bryan, along with Ryan Humphreys who pitched yesterday, are workhorses for us,” said Westmont’s head coach Paul Svagdis. “Bryan pitched through a lot of adversity this season. He is tough as nails. I say this a lot, but I am honored to be on the field with these guys.”
Caden Beloian earned his sixth save of the year with two and two-third scoreless innings of work. He allowed just one hit and coaxed Otter hitters into two double plays.
“I thank this program and this staff for giving me opportunities last year,” said Beloian. “Not many freshmen get to play as much as I did. I am truly blessed for that.
“I wouldn’t ever tell Bryan to his face, but he is the best competitor I have ever played with and been on a field with. Guys like that fire me up and are the best role models.”
Offensively, Daniel Patterson got the ball rolling for the Warriors in the bottom of the first inning with a two-run blast to left field.
“That was great. He set the tone,” said Svagdis of Patterson’s bomb. “It’s great when he gets swinging. He has been a dynamic baseball player and I am so happy for him on a personal level. Certainly, when your four hitter is driving the baseball you feel like you are in a good spot. I am really proud of him.”
Patterson’s home run drove in Bryce McFeely who had singled up the middle ahead of Patterson’s at bat.
McFeely had come up limping after stepping on the bag at first. After stretching out his leg on the sideline, he remained in the game. However, McFeely was clearly hobbled getting around the bases ahead of Patterson’s home run trot.
Warrior fans held their breath, waiting to see if McFeely would resume his position at first base. Svagdis trotted down the third base line to look in on McFeely and athletic trainer Melissa Katherman. What he found was McFeely sprinting back into the field of play, looking for his glove.
More health concerns worried the fans when Zach Mora slid feet-first into a fence while trying to make a play on a foul ball down the left-field line. After two or three minutes, and some examination by a suddenly busy Katherman, Mora popped back up and returned to his position at shortstop.
With one away and a man at first, the fans found out exactly what Warriors are made of. The Otters’ Dominic Felice hit a bounding ball to first. McFeely, showing no ill effects, leapt up to field the grounder, then threw to Mora who was covering at second. After tagging the bag, Mora fired back to McFeely at first, completing the ‘who said we were injured’ double play.
The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the second when Grant Yzerman delivered a lead-off home run over the left-field fence. Michael Soper followed with a triple to left-center field, then scored on a sacrifice fly to right by McFeely. That gave Westmont a 4-0 lead.
The Otter’s only run came in the top of the sixth on a two-out solo home run to left by KW Quilici.
Monterey Bay threatened again in the top of the seventh. With one away, Cole Murchison doubled to center field, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. After a walk by Max Farfan, Svagdis made the decision to go to his bullpen, calling for Caden Beloian.
The sophomore reliever’s third pitch to Felice brought an end to the Otters’ threat when he grounded into a double play.
“I knew Chuck (Beloian) was going to give it his all,” said Peck. “The ball was hit a little hard and it scared me a little. It took a weird hop on Soper. Luckily it hops right up to Mora who has a good arm on it. It bounced our way and we got out of it. Thank you, Chuck.”
“Caden fires me up,” expressed Svagdis. “Every day at practice, he has a smile on his face. Being able to put him on the mound in that situation – first and third, one out, tying run at the plate – I was super confident, based on the type of stuff that he has, that he was going to get us out of that inning with the lead. He certainly did that. He has done it all year and I am very proud of him.”
In the top of the eighth, Beloian sat the Otters down in order. Then in the bottom half of the inning, the Warriors added to their cushion.
With one away, Shane Hofstadler made it a 5-1 score when he powered a solo home run to left. Mora then came up to the plate and doubled down the right field line.
“Z-man has a little juice in the tank,” quipped Svagdis of his sophomore shortstop. “I really enjoy getting to coach him. I have had the opportunity to get into him a couple of times this year. One of the things I look at as a coach is how they respond to that. He is one of those guys that looks you straight in the eye and doesn’t back down from it. He only got more competitive.
“One of the things that I am excited about is that our hitters are swinging aggressively. Each game it is a different player that is coming to the plate and doing some damage for this team.”
With two outs, Mora advanced to third on a wild pitch before Soper recorded an RBI-single to center field. After McFeely walked, both runners advanced on a wild pitch while Patterson was batting. Patterson then doubled to left field – his second extra base hit of the game - driving in both runners and making the score 8-1.
In the top of the ninth, Beloian returned to the mound with a seven-run lead. After a single by Quilici, Felix grounded to short. The Warriors turned the double play – Mora to Soper to McFeely. A soft line drive to Mora provided the final out of the game and gave the Warriors the victory.
Asked what words he would have prior to tomorrow’s game, Svagdis replied, “These guys are a senior group of guys. I met with Bryan out on the Cape when I was applying for the job. He told me, ‘You are lucky, don’t mess things up if you get the gig.’ I’m going to let these guys roll tomorrow. I’ve got no words for them. Let them go play.”
“We have had one goal in mind this whole year and it is to go to Cary, North Carolina,” expressed Beloian. “Nothing is going to change. We count down the amount of games at the bare minimum we need to get there and win the whole thing. We are just going to keep going and trusting our guys. That is what we have been doing all year and we’re not going off plan.”
Peck added, “I said last week at the conference tournament, ‘That was just step one of three steps.’ This is step two of doing what we need to do to get where we want to be.”
No wonder Svagdis doesn’t feel a need to rally the troops.
(Article courtesy of Westmont Athletics)
Westmont is one win away from a Super Regional appearance News Channel 3-12.
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