John Diatte calls Kole Laubach his first great player, because the pitcher's father, Ryan, played for the longtime Valley Christian baseball coach three a long time ago.
So it was only natural that the Grand Coach was emotional Friday when the younger Laubach pitched an ideal game into the ultimate inning.
“I was a little teary-eyed,” said Diatte, who in his 35 years as the varsity’s coach had never seen a pitcher strike out all 21 batters. “When the second out happened, I was like, 'Oh my God'.”
Laubach's heart sank moments later when St. Ignatius' last batter hit a line drive. But second baseman Antonio Chavez, a freshman, was there to make the catch.
Twenty-one up, 21 down.
Not only that, however the 3-0 road win over St. Ignatius secured Valley Christian a share of the West Catholic Athletic League championship, tied with Serra at the highest of the league.
“It was a great day,” said Laubach. “Absolutely crazy.”
For Laubach, the sport was a continuation of his dominance in WCAL competition. In 4 league games this season, he has an ERA of 0.00.
On Friday, nonetheless, the junior was even higher than the zeros on the scoreboard.
“I knew today when I stepped on the rubber in the bullpen that I felt it,” he said. “Everything worked and I got on the hill, I used to be just within the flow. That was it.”
Laubach had to be at his best as Chase Gordon pitched five scoreless innings for SI before Valley Christian, ranked No. 2 by Bay Area News Group, broke through in the sixth inning.
Tatum Marsh's two-run home run gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. Jordan Ortiz's single in the seventh increased the lead to 3-0.
From then on, all eyes were on Laubach, who received the treatment pitchers typically receive when working on a no-hitter or perfect game.
Nobody spoke to him.
Laubach expected the final three outs to be a challenge with the top of SI's batting order coming up.
The first batter flew to left. Laubach struck out the second batter. The third hit the line drive to Chavez to end the game, sealing a win that avenged Valley Christian's 4-0 home loss to 10th-ranked SI on Tuesday.
“I got the first two and got a little nervous,” Laubach said. “I was able to get the last one out and it was surreal. This will definitely be an unforgettable memory.”
Junior Kole Laubach pitches an ideal game, leading the varsity baseball team to a 3-0 victory over Saint Ignatius and a share of the WCAL regular season title pic.twitter.com/gbnltbIp6c
— VCHS Athletics (@VCHSAthletics) May 4, 2024
All 4 of Laubach's pitches worked – fastball, slider, curveball and changeup – and he dropped the SI record to 16-8, 7-7.
“He’s been really good lately,” said Diatte, whose team improved to 23-4, 11-3. “Nothing bothers him. He just goes out and does what he has to do. Very competitive. Wants to be successful. I love his work ethic. Some guys come into the season and stop working to get better. He just kept getting better and better.”
He proved that again on Friday.
No. 3 Serra 13, No. 11 Archbishop Mitty 2
Serra, playing at home in San Mateo, all but secured his share of the WCAL crown when he erupted for seven runs in the primary inning.
The Padres added three more runs within the third and three more within the fifth to fly past Mitty and complete the league's regular season schedule.
Ian Armstrong and Jake Downing each hit home runs to paved the way. Armstrong had three hits and three RBIs.
The Padres also got two hits and an RBI from Ian Josephson and two hits from Josiah Rodriguez. Justin Sechler added a triple and scored two runs as Serra improved to 20-5, 11-3.
Mitty is 15-11-1, 7-6-1.
#1 Granada 15, Livermore 1
Granada ended its regular league season with a snug away win against Livermore.
The Matadors scored eight runs within the second and one within the third to take complete control as Quinn Boyd hit three runs and Tyler Kardy, Parker Warner and Peyton Richards each drove in two runs.
Granada improved to 23-1 overall and 12-1 within the East Bay Athletic League. Livermore is 13-11, 5-8.
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