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Kyle Underwood (left) and Henry Uhrik led the Warriors to a key PCL win Friday. (PHOTOS: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).
Woodbridge High School’s baseball team held off a last inning rally by Portola to capture a 4-3 Pacific Coast victory Friday at Portola to earn an automatic CIF playoff berth.
Woodbridge needed to win the game to clinch a playoff berth and wound up in third place because Sage Hill defeated Northwood 6-5 Friday. If Portola had won, the Bulldogs would have finished ahead of the Warriors due to a tie-breaker process and earned the automatic berth.
Woodbridge wound up tied for third place with Northwood but earns third by virtue of two wins over the Timberwolves.
“We knew it would be {a battle],” said Woodbridge Coach Ryan Brucker. “Coach (Bryan) Resnick does a really good job with his guys and you knew for them being in the spot, not having been in the playoffs they were going to come ready to play.
“I told our guys the one that wanted it more was going to get it. So I was happy with how we swung the bats.”
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Portola (9-16, 6-8) was trying to reach the CIF playoffs for the first time in school history.
Woodbridge went up 4-0 but Portola battled back cutting the lead to 4-2 with two runs in the sixth inning on a two-run single by Nico Atencio driving in Cooper Marinelli, who walked and Eli Serrano who doubled.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Bulldogs took advantage of two walks and two hit batters by reliever Caden Camacho. Jack Wang was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. But Camacho was able to strike out two hitters and got Serrano to hit a grounder to third base which was fielded by Lucas Render who stepped on the bag to end the game.
“I’m real proud of our young guys, we started four sophomores today and for Caden to come into that situation, about as big a situation as you can put a 10th grader in and stick with it and get the ground ball to get us out of it was really something special” Brucker said.
Woodbridge starting pitcher Kyle Underwood, a sophomore left-hander, was impressive for 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and striking out 10.
“I thought the way he performed was really good,” said Brucker.
A two-run home run by junior Henry Uhrik to left field turned in the sixth inning out to be the difference. VInce DeMarco was hit by a pitch before Uhrik’s at bat. Brucker said it was the Warriors’ first home run this year.
“It was definitely a big team win,” said Uhrik. “The first inning, Nevan (Namgoong) with that double really set the tone and Vincent, right before my home run, he got on base, That was important especially since we only won the game by a run. I got a pitch I could hit, I wasn’t really thinking too much but I turned on it and there it goes, it’s gone.
“In some areas our team struggled but I’m really happy that we came through. We kind of deserved this a little bit. We’ve come through a lot, some injuries, a lot of new guys, the team is excited, we’re ready to go.”
Underwood (3-1) was also excited about the win.
“I was a little nervous in the beginning for sure,” he said. “I came out and walked the first kid but settled in and was able to find it after that and was able to compete from there until the sixth inning. I’m excited, this is my first year of varsity, so it’s cool to make the playoffs for sure. I’m excited to see what it holds, I’ve never been there before so to see the environment and the energy our team brings, I’m exited.”
Namgoong led off the game with a double off Portola starter Yoshi Tsuge. Caden Camacho then singled. Namgoog scored when Nolan Stottlemyer hit in a double play. The Warriors added another run in the second inning on an RBI double by Chase Anderson, who was 2 for 2.
Caden Camcho was also 2 for 2 at the plate.
Portola, held to four hits, was led by Atencio, who was 2 for 3. Portola has one more game, hosting Century Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
—-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com