No.1 Amador Valley, No.8 Deer Valley of Antioch
Records: Amador Valley 23-3, Deer Valley 20-5
The Star: Although Joey Moroney provided the game-winner, Amador Valley's bullpen was needed early because starting pitcher Michael Mallory was relieved after 1 1/3 innings. Alex Osterholt and Chris Keck combined for 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball, scattering seven hits, while surrendering an unearned run.
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The Turning Point: Chris Keck wiggled his way out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the top of the eighth. He got Patrick Riel to feebly pop-out to shortstop and Nicholas Gavello to ground out to second base. This provided Amador Valley with an opportunity to win the game in its half of the inning.
The Quote: Of course coach (Lou Cesario) may be on the verge of a heart attack," Joey Moroney said, "But we just want to win any way we can."
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Who's Next: The No.1 seeded Dons will host James Logan on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
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Deer Valley did not make it easy for the top seed, but that's nothing new for the Amador Valley and coach Lou Cesario.
In fact, it's been a theme of late for the Dons to play in tight, late-inning games. In the North Coast Section Division I quarterfinals, they showed off the resilience of a No.1 team in its sixth one-run game of May.
Dons outfielder Joey Moroney's game-winning single off the left field wall scored Greg Dillon in the bottom of the eighth for a 3-2, victory Saturday. Dillon led off the frame with a hit by pitch from Michael Leal, who originally started for Deer Valley and played catcher during innings three through seven. Brian Hamm's sacrifice bunt moved Dillon to second base from where he eventually scored.
"I knew if I had a chance to hit, I could win the game," said Moroney, who went 2 for 4 with a double. "I was looking first-pitch curveball and I got it; we wanted to end it there."
It was an arduous battle, as both teams turned to the bullpens early. Neither starting pitcher — Amador's Michael Mallory and Deer Valley's Leal — made it past the second inning.
Alex Osterholt and Chris Keck combined for 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball, scattering five hits, surrendering an unearned run. Joshua Eagle was equally as good in his 5 1/3 innings of work, though his defense was not a sharp.
The Wolverines committed two errors in innings three and four, assisting in Amador's initial runs. The Dons would load the bases in each inning but could not capitalize for more. Amador settled for an RBI ground out from Tommy Pluschkell in the third, who also brought in a run with a bases loaded hit by pitch in the fourth.
Deer Valley got on the board in the first on an RBI single from Leal, and again in the sixth on a suicide squeeze bunt from Patrick Riel to score Leal.
"That's what we expected," Dons coach Lou Cesario said of the close score. "We knew how good they are and we battled tonight for this win."
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No.1 Amador Valley 3, No.8 Deer Valley of Antioch 2
Deer Valley 100 001 00
Amador Valley 001 100 01
Amador Valley (ab-r-h) Hamm 2-2-0, Moroney 4-0-2, Keck 1-0-0, Pluschkell 2-0-0, Johnson 4-0-0, Finn 3-0-1, Olguin 4-0-1, Barstow 2-0-0, Lam 1-0-0, Dillon 4-1-1.
Pitching
Deer Valley – Leal, Eagle, Leal.
Amador Valley –Mallory 1 2/3 IP, ER, 2H, 2BB, K, Osterholt 3 2/3 IP, 4H, 2K, 0BB, Keck 2 2/3 IP, 3H, 0BB, K