Catalina Foothills' baseball team defeated Mountain View 5-1 on Wednesday, in a game with major playoff implications onΒ the final night of the baseball regular season.
The Falcons solidified their postseason position with the win and sent the seniors off in a positive way in what may have been their final home game.
Entering the game, Foothills held the 17th spot in the Division II rankings and Mountain View checked in at No. 21. The loss for the Mountain Lions could knock them out of postseason play when playoff brackets are announced on Thursday.
As one of a select few non-seniors in the starting lineup, Foothills junior pitcher Sam Alberts paced the Falcons throughout with a complete-game win. Alberts held Mountain View to four hits, one run and struck out three over seven innings of work.
After the game, Alberts said sending off the seniors on a high note was very important to him.
βI got a little nervous at the end but I just wanted to close it out,β Alberts said. βI couldnβt let them go out on a losing note.β
The Falcon offense started off with a run in the top half of the first inning and never looked back, putting up five runs in total. Foothills held a slim 2-0 lead for the majority of the game until putting together a three-run sixth inning.
Foothills senior outfielder Ryan Kaufman led the way offensively in that sixth inning with a two-run triple that effectively put the game out of reach, but that wasnβt the most notable play of the inning.
With no outs and a runner on second, Foothills coach Jim Baldwin brought in one of his two senior on the bench, to pinch hit. Victor Roty, who injured his arm before the season and took on the role of team manager, came up to the plate and laid down a drag bunt for a hit.
Falcon players and fans alike erupted as Roty reached first in possibly the last at bat of his high school career.
βHeβs probably our favorite senior,β Alberts said. βHeβs always there for us, whether heβs playing or not. He didnβt play the whole season, but he got that last at bat and we had to do something for him.β
Looking forward, Baldwin said his team needs to prepare for the postseason, regardless if his team gets to host a playoff game or has to hit the road. Twenty-four teams qualify for the tournament, which is double-elimination beyond the second round.
βNothing matters now,β Baldwin said. βYouβre back to square one, weβre all even. You win and you move on, itβs that simple. This is what you play for all year, to get to state
"Thereβs a lot of teams that wonβt make it and all you want to do is get the door open. When the door is open, now you have to win.β
