Mariposa loses Division VI section final in extra innings

Noah Fluharty was Mariposa’s ace all season. So Grizzlies coach Justin Kleinsmith wanted his top pitcher on the mound with a section title on the line.

It was hard to argue after Fluharty battled through seven innings against two-time reigning section champion Bradshaw Christian on Monday evening.

In the end, the Pride was too much as Xavier Christensen lined a ball into the right-center gap to score Grant Dragmire with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Bradshaw Christian (24-5) a 7-6 win in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI championship game at Tony Zupo Field.

It was the Pride’s third consecutive championship and the second time it has defeated the Grizzlies in the title game in three years. Bradshaw has made five consecutive appearances in the Division VI final and won four titles.

“It’s hard because I lost to them here my sophomore year,” said Mariposa senior Tristan Mero, who reached base all five times, scored twice and knocked in two runs. “I’d rather lose like this than some blowout. It stinks to lose, but it was a fun game.”

Fluharty gave everything Kleinsmith and his teammates could ask. He didn’t have any easy innings, as he pitched out of jams all day. The Pride left nine batters on base, including the bases loaded in the fourth inning.

Kleinsmith came close to pulling Fluharty in the eighth after the first two hitters reached base. Kleinsmith talked to Fluharty throughout the game to gauge how much his ace had left.

“I think I trusted him a little too much,” Kleinsmith said. “I should have trusted my gut. He was well over 100 pitches and he wanted it. I can understand that. As a first-year coach, that’s something I can put on myself.”

The Grizzlies jumped on Bradshaw Christian ace Dragmire early. Jake Williams drove in a run on a grounder, and Morgan Hughes hit a sacrifice fly to give the Grizzlies (20-6) a 2-0 lead in the first.

The Pride answered with RBI singles by Alex Crouch and Dustin Jack in the first to tie the score 2-2.

Mero singled in two runs in the second to give Mariposa a 4-2 lead. The Pride answered with two runs in the bottom half to tie the score 4-4.

“Both teams battled,” Kleinsmith said. “There were lots of opportunities to score. You wish you could have got the big hit to get a couple extra runs.”

Dragmire battled with his control, walking six and hitting three batters in five innings. Those free passes came back to hurt him when Williams delivered a two-out single in the fourth to give Mariposa a 6-5 lead.

It stayed that way until the sixth when Bradshaw Christian’s Michael Sinclair scored on a wild pitch with two outs to tie the score 6-6.

Mariposa put a runner on base against Pride reliever Spencer Swain in the seventh and eighth but was unable to score.

That set the stage for Christensen in the eighth as he lined the winning hit and then ran away from his teammates, making it all the way to left field before they caught him to celebrate.

“It was a fun game to be a part of, but obviously, you want to be on the other side,” Kleinsmith said. “It leaves a sour taste in your mouth, but that’s motivation for next year.”

This story was originally published May 25, 2015 at 8:01 PM with the headline "Mariposa loses Division VI section final in extra innings."