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Adam Valencia (left) got the win on the mound and Joshua Gutierrez hit the game-winning single in the 11th inning for Irvine. (Photos: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).
Irvine High School’s baseball team avenged Tuesday’s one run loss to University on Wednesday with a 3-2 Pacific Coast League victory over the Trojans on a walk-off single by Joshua Gutierrez with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning on a cool afternoon at Irvine.
The game, featuring two teams battling for one of four automatic CIF playoff berths, featured plenty of outstanding pitching on both sides and some solid defensive plays.
Irvine (9-13-1, 7-8-1) stepped up in the bottom of the 11th. Darkness was starting to settle in and the game, almost three hours long, probably wouldn’t have continued too much longer before being declared a tie.
University won Tuesday’s game 3-2 at Uni.
In the rematch, University (9-10-1, 4-8-1) tied the game 2-2 with a run in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by Atticus Oh. The Trojans also threatened to score in each of the extra innings, but winning pitcher Adam Valencia, who came on to pitch in the eighth, was able to work out of trouble.
Then in the 11th, Nathan Sasaki led off with a single, Evan Tamayo reached on an error. Ian Hew sacrificed the runners over. Adam Valencia was walked intentionally to load the bases and Joshua Gutierrez, who came on midway through the game, delivered an RBI single to win it for the Vaqueros.
Irvine players poured out onto the field to congratulate their teammates.
“The first two at bats felt good although I didn’t come up with the outcome I wanted,” said Gutierrez. “That last at bat, I told my teammate, Nate, I was going to be that guy, I wanted to come up clutch because I haven’t been doing that good throughout the season, but I’m feeling it now at the plate.”
“The scoreboard says it all, they never gave in, we did well to keep battling as well so, so again, just like yesterday, a great high school baseball game, we’re obviously very evenly matched. I’m happy that we came out on top but it could have gone either way for sure,” said Irvine Coach Gabriel Cota.
Irvine got solid pitching from starter Sullivan Spivey, who pitched the first 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run.
“He’s been great for us all year, he did a great job and kept us in the game,” Cota said.
To see the slide show, click on the first photo:
Drake Brito came on in the fourth, Tamayo in the fifth and Adam Valencia in the eighth. Valencia pitched four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and saved a base hit with a backhanded stab in the 10th. He did not walk a batter.
“Adam came in big, Drake Brito has been hurt all year long, that was his first outing of the year, to pitch us out of that (jam), I’m super proud and happy for him,” Cota said.
University also had outstanding pitching from starter Austen Barnett, who allowed two runs and five hits and struck out five through eight innings. Logan Rome, who came on in the ninth, pitched two scoreless innings before allowing a run in the 11th.
Adam Valencia, who recorded the win for Irvine on the mound, said the Vaquero players knew the importance of the game.
“I try and stay locked in the whole game and keep our team in it,” he said. “I did my job there and just need to keep on doing it and I think that it really helped our team continue fighting for the game and helped us win. It’s a huge win for helping us get to that playoff game and I think this team can really do well if we make that playoff. We’re just fighting for that spot, we’re doing really well and this one was big.”
Irvine scored two runs in the second inning to take an early lead. Spivey and Joey Ricci singled. Spivey scored on a sacrifice fly by Henry Jeong and Ricci came home on an RBI single by Nathan Valencia, Adam Valencia’s older brother. Nathan Valencia had two hits in the game.
University cut the lead to 2-1 with a run in the fourth inning. Aaron Millman walked and came home on a bases loaded walk to Alex Zive. Then in the seventh, Cooper Berger singled and eventually came home to send the game into extra innings.
The Trojans outhit Irvine 10-8, but stranded 16 runners.
“We had a lot of opportunities and didn’t cash in,” said Uni Coach Wesley Shaw. “You got to play catch, but they’re a good ball club, they’re well coached. We just didn’t capitalize on our opportunities and they did.
“I thought our two pitchers threw really well, compared to their four or five. We were very efficient today. We got our hits with two outs, I wish we had done it earlier in the count. But we will show up tomorrow.”
Shaw said Barnett threw “his best game of the year so far. He had really good velo, they squared three balls the whole day on him.”
Oh, Berger and Michael Dougherty each had two hits for Uni.
The teams wrap up their three-game series Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at University. Irvine moved into fourth place with the victory. Four teams from the league are assured CIF playoff berths.
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—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
