04 May Heritage High Rallies Late to Beat Liberty 6-1 in Rivalry Matchup

Heritage High School celebrates the victory, lifting up starting pitcher Kalil Gray, as a Liberty High School player walks to the dugout.

Story and photos by Chijioke Onyeagucha

Brentwood’s Heritage High School Patriots broke open a tight game with a six-run sixth inning to defeat crosstown rival Liberty High School Lions 6-1 at home May 1.

Strong pitching and defense from both teams kept the game close early, as Heritage’s Kalil Gray and Liberty’s Keoni Kaanehe traded dominant innings.

Both teams entered the rivalry game with strong records and good momentum. The Lions (14-6 as of Monday) came into Heritage’s stadium riding a four-game win streak as well as bragging rights from the previous matchup they won 6-5 at home in April. However, the Patriots (14-6-1) entered the game hot, winning their last six games in a row, scoring 34 runs in that stretch. Now sitting at second in the league, Heritage looks to continue their strong hitting streak and momentum to make a push for the Bay Valley Athletic League title with two more conference games before the postseason.

The ball game started out cagey and tense, signaling just how much was at stake for both teams.

Liberty broke the tense deadlock in the top of the third. Sophomore Miles Cornell rifled a single through a tight gap in the Heritage infield. Then, senior Sean Kelly laced a fly ball to left field that landed just in front of the left fielder as the away Liberty crowd erupted into cheers; Cornell rounded the bases, scoring from first to put the first run on the board for the Lions. As Kelly came to second base, the throw to third from the Heritage outfield just missed the outstretched glove of the third baseman. Taking advantage of the error, Kelly sprinted into third, but as he slid into the base, he came off of the bag and got tagged out.

The Patriots looked to even the score in the bottom of the fourth, but senior second baseman Aidan Rangel struck out to start the inning. With one out on the board already and less and less ballgame left to play, a sense of urgency began to grow among the home team and crowd.

Next at bat came senior catcher Trevor Thomas, working the count in his favor to get walked. Now, the Patriots had some momentum and looked increasingly threatening.

However, that momentum was short-lived. Thomas was picked off by Kaanehe, who subsequently struck out senior Logan Nelson to end the inning in emphatic fashion for Liberty. The Lions’ dugout roared with excitement.

It was up to the Patriots’ defense to keep the Lions scoreless if they wanted to keep the game in reach. It took a strong effort from Gray to do so for the Patriots. Quickly retiring three Liberty hitters — striking out two — to close out the top of the fifth, Gray kept his team in the mix.

Kaanehe matched this effort with a strong inning of his own. The bottom of the fifth started out shaky for the sophomore as he hit junior shortstop Ryder Walker with a pitch. But then, once again, he picked off the runner and struck out the next Heritage hitter, senior Austin Kralj, before a fly ball to center field from junior Aiden Lingley was caught to end the inning.

The ballgame evolved into a pitching duel between Gray and Kaanehe with neither giving up any ground. In the top of the sixth, Gray struck out one hitter and got two other outs on fly balls to center field. At this point, it seemed the game would be decided by which pitcher made a mistake first.

In the bottom of the sixth inning — with no margin for error — Heritage was back on offense; it was now or never for the Patriots.
Leading off, back-to-back hitters were retired by Kaanehe on a flyout and a strikeout. With two outs on the board, victory in this game demanded a perfect performance from the Heritage lineup. That call was first answered with a single from senior outfielder Jett Guevara. The Patriots at last found a pulse.

Next up, Rangel blasted a ground ball towards second base, but it struck the umpire, resulting in a dead ball. Rangel was awarded first, and Guevara advanced to second but not without protest from the Liberty dugout.

A controversial dead ball call but a lifeline for the Patriots as their next hitter, Thomas, stepped up to the plate looking to capitalize. Kaanehe got ahead early, with an 0-2 count. The whole crowd was anxious, home and away; the next pitch could all but decide the game. With so much in the BVAL title race on the line as both teams chase the league-leading Freedom High Falcons of Oakley, no team could afford a conference loss at this stage of the season. As the 0-2 pitch sailed to the plate, the whole stadium seemed to hold their breath.

Thomas blasted a fly ball to the outfield as the home crowd and dugout erupted into mania. The ball bounced just ahead of the Liberty left fielder as he stretched out to make the play. A second explosion from the home side. Guevara and Rangel both sprinted home for the Patriots’ first lead of the ballgame as Thomas ran into third base with a triple.

It was the Lions now who needed to get out of an inning fast, but they struggled to find their way out of the bottom of the sixth. Next at bat was Nelson again. This time, he was hit by a pitch. Then, Kaanehe, who had pitched five scoreless innings, was replaced by right-handed junior Chayce Formosa.

Up to the plate came Walker for Heritage. The junior continued the Patriots’ momentum with a two-RBI double, extending the lead even further. The nerves for the Lions continued to show in the inning as they tried to close out the inning. A ground ball straight to first base from Heritage senior Krajl could not be handled quickly enough by Liberty to make the play at first. The runners advanced. An RBI single from Lingley made it 5-1.

To add salt to the wound, an infield pop-up was dropped by the Lions defense to load the bases for the Patriots before another RBI single from McArthur extended the lead to 6-1. The Lions eventually got the final out, but the damage was done. The home crowd continued to cheer their team, led by Gray, sealed the game in the top of the seventh.

Gray finished the game with six strikeouts and never doubted that his team would provide the run support he needed to get the win.

“I knew my team was going to back me up later on. We’ve been hot. They’ve been swinging the bats good,” he said. “I just knew they were going to come through.”

For Heritage head coach Kevin Brannan, this game is just an extension of the great run the team has been on and an establishment of Gray as the Patriots’ ace.

“At the start of the season we probably didn’t know what [Gray’s] role was going to be. And his last three starts, pretty much has proven he’s probably our No. 1 pitcher, and going forward, we’ll probably adjust our playoff format so that he is that first guy out there.”

As the team rolls strong into postseason play, Thomas noted how important it is for the team to continue to play with energy.

“When we all have energy, we’re all hyped up, that’s when we do really good.”

Despite the tough loss, Liberty is still poised to make a postseason run.

“We’re super talented. We’ll be fine,” said head coach Shawn McHugh. “Sometimes, you got to feel these kinds of losses, so that puts you back in the right mindset.”

As both teams continue to compete in the crowded race for the BVAL title, Heritage will host Antioch High School May 12 after a non-conference game against Burlingame on May 9. Liberty returns home to face Pittsburg High School on Tuesday.