Sports
BASEBALL: Woodside Loses Big Lead, Big Game
Wildcats can't hold 7-1 advantage in extra-inning showdown at Cap, sees CCS hopes take a blow.
The Score: Cap 9, Woodside 8 (9 inn.).
The Star: Capuchino High senior Cory Faubel had a career day at the plate in the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division showdown, driving in five runs, as well as scoring the game-winner on a sacrifice fly in the ninth, to complete the host Mustangs’ dramatic comeback. Woodside held a 7-1 lead midway through the fourth inning, but Faubel’s five RBIs came in the sixth and seventh innings to bring Capuchino within striking distance. His bases-clearing triple in the seventh cut the lead to one, and Faubel scored when the next batter, Lucci Molina, reached on an infield single. Faubel (2-0) also got the win in relief, as he went four strong innings, registering four strikeouts.
The Turning Point: In the bottom of the seventh, Woodside starting pitcher John Buchman was an out away from a complete game, as well as finishing a two-game sweep of the Mustangs. But he left a pitch up in the zone to Faubel, who blasted a majestic shot into deep left-centerfield. It looked like left fielder Eric Tam might’ve had a bead on the ball, but he couldn’t get underneath it in time. Woodside’s lead was down to 8-7, and that was the last batter Buchman faced.
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The Quote: “Over the course of the season, we probably have more errors than hits.” -- Capuchino first basemen Tim Gretter, on a shaky defense Mustang defense that committed seven errors on Thursday.
What's Next? Woodside (11-14, 8-4 PAL Ocean) wraps up the regular season with a two-game series against Mills. The Wildcats will travel to Millbrae on Tuesday and then host the Vikings on Thursday. Both games are scheduled to start at 3:15 p.m.
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The Bottom Line: Woodside’s hopes of securing a spot in the Central Coast Section playoffs took a big blow. With the loss, the Wildcats now sit one game behind Capuchino (13-10-1, 9-3) for second place in the PAL Ocean. The top two teams in the division get automatic postseason bids. … This one is going to be a thorn in Woodside’s side, as the Wildcats held a 7-1 lead midway through this game, and were also up 8-4 in the seventh, needing one more out to finish off Capuchino.
Notes: Senior Rolph Mejia (2-2), who took the loss, came in to a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the eighth. He pitched his way out of the jam, striking out the two batters he faced by blowing fastballs right by them. Mejia, the team’s leading hitter coming into the game, with a .429 average, was 0-for-2 at the plate, and drew three walks. … Buchman looked great his first time through Cap’s lineup, and didn’t surrender a hit until a single in the fourth. From that point on, it looked like Buchman began to wear down, as he left two fastballs up in the zone to Faubel, who made him pay. It was a bit of a surprise to see Buchman still in the game when the tying run came up to the plate in the seventh. … Of the eight runs Woodside scored, five came as a result of Capuchino errors. … Woodside stranded eight runners. … In one of the weirder sequences of the game, Buchman almost got hit in the head by a baseball courtesy of the home plate umpire. Following a foul ball, Buchman was looking down, when the baseball the ump’s throw sailed by his head. … Ironically, Woodside walked off on Capuchino on Tuesday, in a 10-9 extra innings thriller.
