Shafter holds off Wasco to reach D-V baseball semifinals

SHAFTER — In a rivalry that runs as deep as any around, it was fitting that Thursday’s Shafter-Wasco baseball game went down to the wire.

With a spot in the Central Section Division V semifinals hanging in the balance, Matteo Martinez got the final two outs with the tying run at the plate, and the host Generals held off the Tigers for a 3-1 victory.

“It’s always a big thing getting the win,” said first-year Shafter coach John Hill, with the Buck Owens song “I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail” playing on a loop in the background. “But we’re playing against our biggest rival in the league and we’re beating them in the playoffs. It’s huge to send that team home.”

No. 3 Shafter won three of four games against the No. 11 Tigers this season, with two decided by one run and the other in extra innings.

“Our guys are coming in hot; perfect timing for the playoffs,” said Hill, whose team will host No. 10 Firebaugh on Tuesday. “Going into the semifinals, I think we’re in a good spot.”

The Generals shook off a slow start and took control with a three-run second inning. But neither team could push across another run.

The first two Wasco batters reached in the sixth against reliever Andy Gomez, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate. Shafter brought in Martinez and he immediately made a difference in the field when he picked up a bunt by Gerardo Aldana and threw to third for a force out. The next batter grounded into a double play to end the threat.

With one out in the seventh, the Tigers’ Zak Mays lined a hit to left field to keep his team’s hopes alive. But Martinez struck out Matthew Wimberly and then got pinch-hitter Jude Granados to ground out to end the game.

“We were pretty solid all the way across on defense and pitching,” Hill said. “I think we have one of the best defensive teams around. Our hitting started out slow, but we got hotter later in the game. That’s the thing we tell the boys: We don’t play two (innings), we play seven. That means that we fight all the way through. The boys did really well.”

Shafter starter Lukas Pena had a bit of a rough start, walking lead-off hitter Santonio Juarez on three pitches. He stole second and moved to third on a ground out by Aldana. One out later, Damian Santos singled to right field to drive in Juarez.

But that was the last hit the Tigers would get until Mays’ single in the seventh. Wasco had its chances against the three Generals pitchers thanks to three walks and three hit-batsmen, but Shafter worked out of trouble thanks to two double plays. Shafter also caught a runner stealing and picked off another at first base.

Wasco was playing without two starters, including senior outfielder Noah Duran, who is hitting a team-high .460. Duran was ejected from Tuesday’s playoff opener, which prohibited him from playing in the next game.

“This season has been one of those where we dealt with a lot of adversity,” said Wasco coach Jeff Wedel, whose team committed four errors in the first three innings. “We were missing two senior starters in the outfield and we had a freshman and four sophomores in the field, so our youth showed a little bit in some big spots. But we’re trying to teach these kids how to play the right way and grind. But we just came up short.”

Shafter made the most of three hits, two errors and a walk to score three runs in the second inning against Santos, the Tigers starter who went the distance. He scattered seven hits and held the Generals scoreless in the final four innings.

In the Shafter second, Alex Balderrama reached on an error and moved to third on a two-base throwing error. Jacob Gutierrez followed with an RBI-single, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. After a walk to Jesus Paez, JJ Hinojosa doubled off the base of the left-field fence to chase home Paez. No. 9 hitter Jacob Bernal followed with a single to right to score Hinojosa for a 3-1 lead. Bernal went 2 for 3, the only Shafter player with multiple hits.

“I just do my job,” Bernal said. “They put me in the 9 hole for a reason. I feel like we’re a team of destiny. It’s our ring to lose and throughout our lineup is solid.”

The Generals will be making their first appearance in a section semifinal in recent memory, something that Hill and his team is excited about. The coach even received a celebratory ice bath, with several players emptying the water cooler over his head after the game.

“It’s been a long time since this team has gone to a semifinals,” said Hill, who coached lower-level teams at Shafter for eight years before taking over the varsity position this year. “We talked about that from the get-go — ‘Where do we want to go?’ — and one game closer now that we’re in the semifinals. I feel like they’re one game closer to their dream."