Del Oro fends off Jesuit in game 1 of D2 semis

Leading 10-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning Monday, it looked as if No. 5 Del Oro would cruise to a lopsided victory over No. 1 Jesuit in game one of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinals. The Marauders made a valiant last stand, stringing together two singles, two walks, a hit batter and a double to cut the lead to 10-6 with no outs. Jesuit scored two more with a sacrifice fly and a squeeze bunt for a single that brought shortstop Sammy Kane to the plate representing the tying run with two outs. Kane saw a pitch he could handle and ripped it down the left-field line, sending the Jesuit dugout into a frenzy. Kane's blast cleared the fence but was foul by just about a foot, making it a long and loud strike two. Del Oro's Anthony Clay struck out Kane swinging on the next pitch to preserve a 10-8 victory. While Clay found himself in the jam, Del Oro coach Jordan Whitmore stuck with the junior and said he trusted Clay would find a way to escape. "He had some bad luck but he was still making good pitches. I liked the matchups and I just trusted him," said Whitmore. "Sometimes, you just don't know what happens when you make a pitching change in that situation. He was solid and I liked our chances. He's been awesome for us all year." Whitmore's trust in his pitchers was on display, as handed the ball to sophomore Brody Coxen to start. Coxen was pulled up from the JV team less than a month prior and made his only start against the Marauders in Sierra Foothill League play. The gamble to start the young southpaw paid off, as he pitched 5⅔ innings and held the Marauders to two runs (one earned) on four hits with four strikeouts. Whitmore said he gave Coxen the nod Monday because of his previous strong start against Jesuit and he proved he's already a vital piece of the starting rotation. "He kind of came up because we had a stretch of a lot of games and we needed the arms. We kept him up to get some more work in," Whitmore said of Coxen. "He's got really good stuff, you just have to hope he's hitting the zone, and he has been to this point. His secondary stuff got stronger as he went on." Whitmore said Coxen is at home playing at the varsity level, especially since older brother Sam was a star on the mound for Del Oro last season. Whitmore says Coxen has a mature approach and doesn't overcomplicate the little things. "He fits in with older guys and he keeps it simple with his pregame routine. It's beautiful," said Whitmore. "He doesn't have a million energy drinks or anything like that. He just shows up and he's ready to go. That makes me feel confidence in him because he keeps it simple." Del Oro was led offensively by the bottom of the order, as the five through nine hitters combined for four hits and nine RBIs. Jack Tews and Lucas Pusterla each drove in three runs, while Will Stark, Cyrus Nabavi, Kevin Taylor and Shane Maloney each had one RBI. Whitmore said the bottom half of the order has been the heart of Del Oro's lineup, especially in the postseason. In the first round against Bella Vista, Maloney had a grand slam and five RBIs. In the quarterfinals against Woodcreek, Tews drove in two runs from the six spot. "We can't wait to get to the bottom of our lineup," said Whitmore. "They aren't true eight or nine hitters." Del Oro (13-18) knew it had to win a game on the road to claim the series and Whitmore said taking the first game is huge for momentum, especially now that the series shifts back to Loomis on Wednesday. He was not worried about Jesuit's late rally and said it actually woke up the Golden Eagles heading into game two. "It was almost perfect for us because it reels them back in and shows them what happens when you kind of check out," said Whitmore. "As much of a nightmare as that last inning almost was, it's hopefully a blessing in disguise." Del Oro seeks its first section championship game appearance since 2018.