Wilcox pays homage to a fallen teammate

SANTA CLARA – Tuesday wasn't just a baseball game at Washington Park. Not your typical opening-round game of the Hazlett tourney.

It was a tribute to a fallen brother, a day to honor a ballplayer who tragically died in an auto crash last fall.

Prior to Wilcox 3-1 loss to Monterey, a game that went 14 innings and lasted more than four hours, players from both teams gathered around the mound and exchanged rubber bracelets that featured Isaiah Mendoza's No. 6.

Mendoza was killed Sept. 21 in a crash on Lawrence Expressway, a tragedy that cast a pall over the entire Wilcox campus and broke the hearts of the baseball program he led from behind the plate.

Last week, the Chargers faced MacDonald, which is coached by Robert Maes, Mendoza's uncle. Prior to the game, Mendoza's jersey was laid across home plate. That jersey now hangs in the Wilcox dugout every game.

"Every time I go out in the practice field, I feel like we're always missing a guy," said senior Gilbert Padilla. "It's just tough for me to always go out there in the field, but I know who I'm playing for now, and I feel like I have a real purpose to be on this field."

The Chargers have dedicated this season to Mendoza and the bracelet ceremony is something that coach Matthew Huth plans to make a tradition at the Hazlett tournament.

Mendoza "was a leader – a leader by example," Huth said. "Not only did he want to make the people that were close to him better, he also wanted to make people better around him. It could be a homeless person and making sure they're fed. It could be a kid at school that was sitting down by themselves at lunch. He had visions for everybody in life."

Isaiah Mata, who shared the catching duties with Mendoza last year, has stepped into a full-time role fully aware that he has big shoes to fill.

"It's my job to step up by trying to be a leader as much as possible," Mata said. "That's just making sure everyone's hustling on and off the field, everyone's just trying, not being lazy in the dugout. When we kind of get quiet, it's my job to keep up the energy. That's how I feel like I'm trying to lead."

Monterey pulled off a first-and-third double steal in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead and for a while it looked like that might be the only run of the game. However, Padilla's single to left in the fifth inning chased home Bishop Roque from second and tied the game at one.

The two teams battled for another two hours – and seven more innings – before Monterey scored twice in the top of the 14th on a Tristann Trego two-run single inning to take charge.

W: Money | L: Barragon | 2 hits- Lamire (M), Trego (M), Roque (W), Jackson (W), Colsido (W). 2B- Roque (W), Jackson (W), Beyah (M), Lemire (M), Esquivel (M).

No. 15 Terra Nova 4, University 2

Terra Nova rebounded from Saturday's loss by avenging a 2025 loss to University, thanks to a nine-hit attack that was led by Aiden James.

James had two hits, including a home run, and drove in a pair of runs, while catcher Joey Donati, Austin Snead and Jessie Martinez had two hits each.

W: Santamoto | L: Duff | S: Defilippis | 2 hits- Donati (TN), James (TN), Martinez (TN), A.Snead (TN). 2 RBI- Gebhart (U), James (TN). HR- James (TN). 2B- Messenger (U).

No. 11 The King’s Academy 8, Scotts Valley 4

No team is off to a better offensive start than the Knights, who won their fourth straight game by pounding out 13 hits.

Taiyo Peterson had four more hits to continue his sizzling start. He drove in three runs. Justin Cho added three hits, while Nate Plata and Dominic Myung had two hits each. The King's Academy pounded out six doubles.

That was more than enough offense for Ryan Wheeler to pick up his second victory of the season.

Bryce McDonnell led the Falcons with two hits and four RBI. Scotts Valley was coming off a big win over Valley Christian, but their momentum was short lived.

The King's Academy will host highly regarded Soquel on Thursday.

W: Wheeler | L: Acton | 4 hits- Peterson (TKA). 3 hits- Cho (TKA). 2 hits- Plata (TKA), Myung (TKA), McDonnell (SV). 4 RBI- McDonnell (TKA). 3 RBI- Peterson (TKA). 2 RBI- Cho (TKA). 2B- Myung (TKA) 2, Plata (TKA) 2, Cho (TKA), Peterson (TKA), McDonnell (SV).

Capuchino 11, Harker 0

Aaron Rodriguez went the distance and didn't allow a hit as the Mustangs rolled to the lopsided victory.

Dominic Fanara had two hits and three RBI, while William Ferreira drove in a pair.

W: Rodriguez | L: MacMillan | 2 hits- Fanara (C). 3 RBI- Fanara (C). 2 RBI- Ferreira (C).

Leigh 8, Los Altos 3

Grady Beaudoin scattered five hits and picked up the win while catcher Damian Hernandez drove in four runs for the Longhorns, who won their second straight game after a season-opening 1-0 loss at Saint Francis.

Sean Hamby had two hits for the Eagles.

W: Beaudoin | L: Soto | 2 Hits- Hamby (LA). 4 RBI- Hernandez (L). 2B- Hernandez (L). Burriss (L).

Acalanes 5, No. 2 St. Ignatius Prep 4

Acalanes, a NorCal playoff quarterfinalist last year, broke a 4-4 tie with a run in the bottom of the seventh to hand St. Ignatius Prep its first loss of the season.

The Wildcats outhit Acalanes, 7-4. DJ Delaney, Ryan Rosenthal and Chase Gordon had two hits each. Delaney drove in two runs.

W: Copen | L: Law | 2 hits- Delaney (SI), Rosenthal (SI), Gordon (SI).2 RBI- Delaney (SI), Winkles (A), Asadorian (A). 3B- Asadorian (A). 2B- Rosenthal (SI), Delaney (SI), Coleman (A).

San Ramon Valley 9, No. 1 Serra 2

Riley Lim was touched for six runs in the top of the third inning, including back-to-back home runs as the Padres, playing their first home game of the season, lost for the first time.

On a day when the wind was blowing out, San Ramon Valley hit three long balls.

Mitch Nelson hit one of the homers and finished the game with five RBI. Charlie Rhodes had three hits, while Drew Stasch and Michael Yrigbarren hit home runs.

Nate Hui, the most valuable player of the Battle for Atherton, continued his hot start with two more hits, including his fifth double in four games. William Walbridge added two hits.

W: Gehrke | L: Lim | 3 hits- Rhodes (SRV). 2 hits- Walbridge (S), Hui (S), (S), Nelson (SRV), Williams (SRV). 5 RBI- Nelson (SRV). HR- Stasch (SRV), Nelson (SRV), Yrigbarren (SRV). 2B- Hui (S).

No. 6 Sequoia 7, Woodside 4

Cole Hymer is off to a blistering start and it continued Tuesday with three more hits. He now had 11 hits in four games for the Ravens, who remained unbeaten heading into Friday's showdown at Saint Francis.

Morgan Winfield made his first start of the season and picked up the win while adding his first home run of the year after two close calls last week at MacDonald High.

Dom De La Cruz drove in three runs for Sequoia, while the Wildcats were led by Anderson Comfort's two hits. Charles Dalrymple drove in two runs for Woodside.

W: Winfield | L: Ball | 3 hits- Hymer (S). 2 hits- Comfort (W), Winfield (S), M.Fausto (S). 3 RBI- De La Cruz (S). 2 RBI- Winfield (S), Dalrymple (W). HR- Winfield (S). 2B- Comfort (W).

Burlingame 1, Sacred Heart Prep 0

Mark O'Grady went 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven and allowing just two Nico Pollioni hits as Burlingame found a way to beat Rallin Covey and the Gators.

Covey was solid in his second start of the season but again has nothing to show for his efforts. The hard-throwing right-hander went the distance, throwing 99 pitches, his highest pitch count in two years, and finishing with 12 strikeouts after allowing just one hit.

Drew Gall not only earned the decision for the Panthers by throwing the final 1 2/3 innings he also stole Home in the bottom of the sixth to put the panthers on the board.

W: Gall | L: Covey | 2 hits- Pollioni (SHP)

South San Francisco 16, Design Tech 0

Emilio Oseguera allowed just one hit, while collecting three at the plate and driving in four runs for the Warriors, who feasted on Design Tech pitching by pounding out 16 hits.

Diego Carranza had three hits and drove in four runs as well.

W: Oseguera | L: Hom | 3 hits- Carranza (SSF), Oseguera (SSF). 4 RBI- Oseguera (SSF), Carranza (SSF). 2B- Oseguera (SSF), Carranza (SSF).

San Mateo 5, No. 13 Menlo School 4

The Bearcats proved up to the task of going on the road and beating a ranked team on Tuesday.

They scored four runs in the fourth inning against Jackson Flanagan to take over the contest and then hung on for the win.

Hudson Brandt and Michael Lackey had two hits each, while Sean Passalacque drove in three runs.

Catcher Chuck Wynn hit his first home run of the season and drove in three runs for the Knights, who fell to 1-3.

W: Morales | L: Flanagan | S: Louie | 2 hits- Brandt (SM), Lackey (SM), Wynn (MS). 3 RBI- Wynn (MS), Passalacque (SM). HR- Wynn (MS). 2B- Passalacque (SM), Cahill (MS), Freehill (MS).