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Estancia juniors, starting right-handed pitcher Nico Viramontes (left) and catcher Sawyer Atkinson (right) after Tuesday’s win (PHOTOS: Adam Kunin, For OC Sports Zone).
In a CIF Division 6 semifinal matchup featuring two gritty squads, Estancia High School’s baseball team edged Rancho Mirage 4-3 at home on Tuesday afternoon.
The Eagles overcame an early two-run deficit and scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning to scrape past the Rattlers.
Estancia (19-13) advances to play in its second CIF title game in four years. The Eagles, who won the CIF Division 5 crown in 2022, will take on Marshall High School in the CIF Division 6 championship game Friday or Saturday at either Cal State Fullerton or Blair Field.
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After winning in walk-off fashion in its previous game – a 4-3 victory over Pacifica Christian – Estancia once again needed some clutch plays late to put away Rancho Mirage.
However, instead of the offense sealing the game, the defense took the reins to close it out.
In the seventh inning, senior right-handed pitcher Vaughn McCrea entered in a save situation for Estancia with his team up one run. With the game on the line, Rancho Mirage threatened, putting two runners on the basepaths.
Yet, McCrea remained unfazed, using a crafty pickoff move to catch a Rancho Mirage baserunner off guard and secure the second out of the inning.
Then, he relied on a fellow senior, left fielder Jacob Ramirez, to make a diving catch to secure the final out and the victory for the Eagles.
The clutch final frame capped off an Estancia comeback from down 2-0 early to ultimately capture a 4-3 victory.
“We respond when we’re down and all that is is heart,” Coach Nate Goellrich said. “That’s all of them having the ability to understand that they can do it. Having faith in themselves and having faith in each other.”
Junior right-handed pitcher Nico Viramontes led the charge for Estancia on the mound, serving as a calming presence throughout tense moments in the game.
In six innings of work, Viramontes allowed just two earned runs and struck out four Rancho Mirage hitters en route to his ninth win of the season.
“He stepped up for us huge today on the mound,” Goellrich said. “We expect that out of him, with him being our ace … Here in the playoffs, he’s just taken it to another level with his competitive drive.”
On the offensive end, Viramontes and junior catcher Sawyer Atkinson came through for their squad with back-to-back RBI doubles in a three-run third inning for Estancia.
The combo in the three and four-spot in the lineup has proven to be effective all season long, with each of the two hitting north of the .350 batting average mark.
“Having two hitters that can hit back-to-back doubles is huge,” Atkinson said. “It’s (the pairing) been pretty great all season,”
Yet, Viramontes also acknowledged that the team’s offensive success remains dependent on a team-first approach. The group’s tight-knit bond has catalyzed its playoff run.
“It takes everyone on this team to win,” Viramontes said. “We know that, and it’s shown before … We have great chemistry together. A lot of us have been playing together since Little League, so I feel like having that good chemistry helps us in those key moments.”
This sentiment rang true in the fifth inning, when Estancia once again found the go-ahead run to go up 4-3. Except this time, the production came from the bottom of the lineup.
McCrea led the group, going 2 for 2 at the plate and being intentionally walked to set up junior first baseman Carlos Hauser for a timely RBI single.
“I’ve never been intentionally walked before, so it caught me off guard,” McCrea said. “I’ve been hitting well all CIF, so I just hope to keep it going, as a team, especially.”
The squad will look to keep its momentum rolling into the title game, where it will go for its second CIF title in four years. It’s an opportunity Estancia has looked forward to all postseason long.
“It feels amazing,” Viramontes said. “This has been a main goal since the start of the season. I feel like we worked hard for this, and we’re ready to come out on top.”
Estancia defeated Anaheim 2-1 in 11 innings in the Division 6 championship game at Goodwin Field on the Cal State Fullerton campus in 2022 for its first CIF title.