MC outlasts Central Valley to win Art McRae Tournament

Livingston High won the junior varsity tournament of the Art McRae Easter Baseball Tournament Thursday at Central Valley High School.

For all intents and purposes, the varsity title also went to a JV team.

Modesto Christian, which starts seven freshmen, a sophomore and one senior, outlasted co-host Central Valley for a 14-12, 13-inning victory in the championship contest.

Freshman right fielder Jordan Dias delivered the go-ahead single in the top of the 13th – another run scored on an overthrow – and then ranged far to the gap in right-center to make the final out and preserve the win.

The Crusaders (9-4) did their best to give the game away, but always found a way out of trouble.

There was a double-play that freshman shortstop Drew Morones made when he snared a line drive inches off the ground, coming moments after committing a costly error. There was the wild pitch that got away from freshman catcher Cody Brockman, who retrieved the ball in time to make a perfect, in-stride, shin-high throw to freshman pitcher Cameron Ceja to cut down the potential winning run and get MC out of the inning.

“I thought, ‘Uh-oh, we’ve lost the game,’ ” said Brockman, remembering what flashed through his brain when the ball squirted away. “But Cameron ran home and I was able to throw it perfectly.”

And then there was Dias’ catch.

“My only thought was, ‘Don’t drop it,’ ” said Dias, who had three singles prior to his game-winner. “At first, I thought it was going to be the center fielder’s ball, and I just ran without thinking about it. But as the ball was dropping, I thought, ‘I’ve got this.’ ”

After making the catch, Dias was mobbed by his teammates in right field.

“We just battled; we didn’t stop,” said MC coach Mark Butler. “Freshmen are up and down. I told these boys at the beginning of the season, ‘If we’re going to do something this season, we’ve got to stay even-keeled.’ Today, we did that for the most part. We had some ups and downs, you’re going to have that in baseball, but these kids just stayed level … stayed ready.

“We’re basically a JV team playing in a varsity tournament and we took it. I can’t be more proud of these boys.”

Freshman Calvin Pless earned the victory for the Crusaders but it was Ceja who did the brunt of the work for MC on the mound. The box score is probably not one he’ll want to clip out and carry in his wallet, but he consistently came through with big outs when they were most needed.

Next week, the Crusaders will resume Trans-Valley League play with a pair of games against Hughson. Currently, MC is tied atop the TVL standings with Ripon and Hilmar. All three teams are 2-0 in league action.

“This win boosts our confidence way up,” said Brockman, who caught all 13 innings.

Dias echoed those sentiments.

“This shows that we have what it takes to be up there with the best,” said Dias.

Central Valley, which co-hosts the McRae tournament with crosstown rival Ceres, defeated Kimball 3-2, Delhi 19-0 and Yerington, Nev., 14-4 to reach the championship game. The Hawks will resume Western Athletic Conference play on April 13 in Ceres against Pacheco.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 8:38 PM with the headline "MC outlasts Central Valley to win Art McRae Tournament."