This post was originally published on this site
Saddleback’s Bailey Wright slides in with the tying run in the sixth inning. (PHOTOS: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).
After qualifying for the CIF baseball playoffs for the first time since 2006, Saddleback High School’s dream season came to a close on Tuesday afternoon.
The Roadrunners (14-11-1) fell to visiting Coastal Christian 4-3 in the second round of the CIF Division 9 playoffs at Saddleback.
To see additional photos, click on the first picture:
“,”load_all”:false,”error_template”:”
{{ERROR}}
“,”inner_caption”:true,”caption_position”:”over”,”thumbs_position”:”bottom”,”arrow_position”:”inside”,”toolbar”:false,”infobar”:true,”show_smallbtn”:true,”idle_time”:false,”click_content”:false,”click_slide”:false,”click_outside”:false,”animation_duration”:false,”transition_duration”:false,”small_btn_template”:”“}” data-parsed-attrs=”{“id”:”189831″,”cache”:true}”>
PHOTO: Adam Kunin, For OC Sports Zone
Meanwhile, Coastal Christian (9-5) advances to the semifinals, where it will meet top seed Loma Linda Academy Friday.
For Saddleback coach Joseph Najera, the loss does little to diminish his pride in his team for its relentless effort in a historic season.
“They’ve been through so much,” Najera said about his seniors. “You look at our Max Preps from as far back as it goes, and it’s a rough stretch. And so, for them to finally get success, I’m just so happy for them. I know it didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but for them to finally be on the winning side of things, it meant the world to me.”
In the team’s showdown with Coastal Christian, the Conquerors struck first, tallying one run in the first and two more in the third to jump out to a 3-0 lead.
Yet, with Saddleback’s season on the line, the Roadrunners found an extra gear to battle back. On the back of RBI singles from infielders, junior Bailey Wright and freshman Joaquin Cornejo, Saddleback erased a three-run deficit and tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth.
“I was smiling the whole seventh inning regardless of what happened,” Najera said. “As a coach, that’s all you can ask for. [For] your guys to go out with their shields like true warriors.”
However, the Roadrunners’ comeback efforts proved to be to no avail, as senior pitcher Weston Barker’s RBI single brought home the go-ahead run for Coastal Christian, which put the game away in the bottom of the seventh, winning 4-3.
Barker did it all for the Conquerors on Tuesday afternoon, logging six innings on the mound and going 3 for 4 at the plate in a two-RBI day.
With the loss, the senior class that joined Najera in his first season four years ago at Saddleback walked off the field for one final time. Although they’ve developed their skills on the field, it’s their growth off it that’s left a lasting impression.
“Through the years I’ve changed a lot,” senior catcher Ricky Marquez said. “I’ve become a bigger person. I became a leader. Najera showed me how to do that. He built me up to be a real man and not be the little boy I was when I was a freshman.”
It’s something Najera remains proud of and hopes can carry on, as he continues to guide Saddleback under the principles the team used to achieve great success this season.
“I think one thing we’re about here at Saddleback is [that] it’s not always about wins and losses,” Najera said. “It’s about becoming a better person through the game of baseball. I think these guys showed what perseverance, hard work, dedication, unselfishness and love can really do.”