20 May Pinole Valley High Baseball Gets Past First Round of Playoffs but no Further

Spartans senior captain Jai Benedito, not pictured, said the team played selfishly in their previous game. “This time we came together as a team and brought better energy.”

Story and photos by Joe Porrello

Just one run separated the Pinole Valley High Spartans and Moreau Catholic High Mariners on May 14, but the former came out on top 4-3 in the first round of the North Coast Section Division 3 baseball playoffs.

The Spartans’ season ended on a 2-0 home loss in round one of the NCS last year.

The Mariners struck first with a run in the top of the opening frame, but the Spartans answered swiftly.

Scoring twice and loading the bases, Pinole Valley High forced out the Mariners starting pitcher in the first. Spartans sophomore Max Castro then added a pair of runs with a single.

“I loved that they came out and put something on us, and we responded,” said Spartans eighth-year head coach Tjay Ratliff. “We won that inning in a big way; a lot of energy took the momentum away from them.”

 

In the second inning, an overthrow from third to first on a slow roller gave the Mariners a runner in scoring position, which they used to cut the lead to two.

Spartans junior starting pitcher Rey Malan then settled in, using 97 pitches to throw his third complete game of the season. He finished with eight strikeouts, two walks and one earned run.

“Malan threw one hell of a game,” said Ratliff. “The team kind of crumbled and folded a little bit, but he was able to get above that adversity and really battle through for us — it was huge.”

Earning his seventh win in nine attempts this season, Malan’s victory total is No. 1 for a Tri-County-Rock League pitcher and third in Division 3 of the NCS. He has an ERA of 2.33 and 53 of his team’s 156 strikeouts.

 

On the other side of the ball, Pinole Valley threatened to widen their lead with a pair of hits to open the third before three straight outs.

Mariners sophomore relief pitcher Benjamin Fuentes then hit his stride, retiring 12 of 14 batters faced on only 61 pitches in 5 1/3 innings with no earned runs.

Concluding the top of the fourth, Malan swung around to pick off a runner leading off of first base, exiting the field to loud applause from the crowd and his teammates.

An inning later, the Spartans’ second error of the game allowed a Moreau Catholic leadoff triple to score when the left fielder had a fly ball carom off his glove.

 

Then surrendering two consecutive walks, Malan buckled down with one out and the bases loaded, getting a strikeout and a groundout to keep the score at 4-3, where it stayed.

“I know we left a little bit out there, but it does feel good that we closed it out,” said Ratliff.

Pinole Valley High tightened up their defense to conclude the final two frames, throwing out one runner who failed to get back to first base in time after the ball was caught and one attempting to steal second base, the latter by senior captain and catcher Jai Benedito to end the game.

“It’s another day at work, I’ve caught every single game my junior and senior year,” said Benedito, who has no errors this season.

The Spartans catcher drew a walk to bring his team lead to 19. Benedito also tops his squad in slugging percentage (.584) and on-base percentage (.512).

The pair of triples hit by Pinole Valley High senior Daniel Rios and sophomore Charles Vargas were the only extra-base hits their team managed and marked the first time this season the team notched two three-baggers in a game. Rios is the only team member with multiple triples (3) in 2024.

Vargas added an RBI and a run scored, while Rios also registered a run and got a single — one of only two players with multiple hits. The other Spartan with a couple of knocks, senior Michael Macon, also had an RBI and a run.

 

Their last matchup was an 8-0 loss at home against St. Mary’s High in the TCRL playoffs. The defeat came on the heels of Pinole Valley High finishing No.1 in the regular season standings, with nine league wins, the highest team total in 17 years.

Part of that win tally may be, in part, due to the Spartans having played 20 of 24 games at home, compared with the Mariners who only had five of 24 games on their own field.

In the third battle with Moreau Catholic in as many years, the Spartans have now won the last two.

Following the win, Pinole Valley High traveled to Campolindo High to face the Cougars, who beat the Spartans on their home field in March. 

Ratliff said he knew a big challenge was in store.

“The next game’s going to be tough, they’re a very good baseball team,” he said after the May 14 win. “They got us early in the season, so we’re going to have to go out there and respond, attack early again.”

Heading into their matchup, Pinole Valley was 1-6 against the Cougars in the last 14 years, with the win coming in 2015.

“We’re trying to make our road as long as possible in the NCS,” said Benedito.

But the road would come to an end against Campolindo High, as the Spartans fell 4-2 and extended their winless streak against the Cougars.