Central Catholic baseball can’t hold lead vs. No. 1 Manteca

One by one, Central Catholic players sprinted into the vineyards that line the baseball complex on Wednesday afternoon, searching the rows for balls.

Some were meant to be returned.

Like Kyle Rachels’ moon shot.

The sophomore launched a three-run home run that finally came to rest on the football field, highlighting another impressive finishing kick by Manteca in an 11-8 victory.

The Buffaloes trailed 4-0, but erased that deficit with eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings to remain perfect in the Valley Oak League.

“That’s the way it’s been all year and something we’ve talked about. It’s learning to put somebody away when you’ve got them on the ropes,” said Central Catholic coach Danny Ayala, his team now 10-9 overall and 4-3 in league play. “Simply said: We haven’t done it yet.

“I appreciate the fight. I felt we played well coming out of the gate, but we gave away the middle innings. Those guys weren’t going to stop. There’s a reason why they’re in first place.”

Rachels was 2-for-4 and Sam Rohovit and Brett Kovacs drove in two runs apiece for the Buffaloes, who solidified their place atop The Bee’s large-school ranking with another come-from-behind win against a perennial playoff team.

“The thing about this group, they absolutely work their tails off,” Manteca coach Neil MacDannald said. “We don’t have to coach effort. They’re used to playing as long as they need to play. They believe in each other.

“Coming back is habitual. You either do those sorts of things and you get used to it, which means you’re never going to count yourself out. Or, you put your head in the sand and you give up. Fortunately for our coaching staff, those guys never give up.”

Manteca (15-4), which stunned Oakdale and Sierra in its final swings, is now 7-0 in the Valley Oak League and will seek its fourth series sweep on Friday with Jake Menasco (4-2, 1.50 ERA) on the mound.

But who’s counting?

MacDannald said his team hasn’t paid much attention to the standings all season, and Wednesday’s triumph over the second-place Raiders won’t change that.

“Honest to goodness, we got our head down and we’re grinding. At the end, we’ll look up and see where we’re at,” said MacDannald, just two seasons removed from a Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV title and mythical state championship.

“These guys, I don’t even know if they realize they’re 7-0. I don’t know. They don’t act like it. They act like they need to work, because they realize you can get beat by anybody on any given day.”

Manteca chased Central Catholic starter Joey Mundt after five innings, tagging the 6-foot-2 sophomore for seven runs on eight hits. Mundt yielded five walks, plunked his seventh batter of the season, and uncorked a wild pitch that led to a run.

The Buffaloes pounded out 13 hits, including doubles by Menasco (2 for 5) and Brett Kovacs in a five-run fifth inning.

All 10 of the players used by MacDannald reached base and eight produced at least one base hit.

Rachels’ blast delivered the death knell. It was his second home run of the season. The blast easily cleared the 315-foot sign in left-center.

“His last at-bat we had guys on base and he made a low-count mistake and hit a pop-up on a 3-1 pitch,” MacDannald said. “He knew he made that mistake and he wasn’t going to do it again. That was a big hit for us.”

Standing behind the bag at third base after the game, pen tucked inside his cap, Central Catholic’s Ayala wasn’t too concerned about his still-developing fireballer’s shaky performance.

The Raiders’ first-year coach was disappointed most with his team’s lack of discipline at the plate.

And to think, the game began so perfectly for the upset-minded Raiders.

Sam Mundt belted a three-run home run to give the Raiders a quick 3-0 lead. Eagan Fierro led off the game with a single. Two batters later, Austin Escobar reached on a walk to set the table for Mundt’s sixth homer of the season.

Ryan Vierra made it 4-0 in the second, scoring on a double steal. After doubling, Vierra found himself in a rundown between third and home. When the catcher’s throw sailed into left field, Vierra trotted home safely.

Just when it looked like Manteca would finally take a loss, Central Catholic let off the gas. The Raiders left the bases loaded in the third, failing to produce the knockout blow with the meat of the order huddled at the bat rack.

In the fourth and fifth innings, Central Catholic went down quickly and quietly, allowing Manteca ace Tyler Graves-Kelso to build confidence.

Ayala had hoped to see his team continue to put pressure on Graves-Kelso, who gave up five runs on six hits in the first two innings.

Instead, Graves-Kelso worked around two walks and finished his afternoon with back-to-back strikeouts in the fifth.

“We are still growing. We’re not over the hump where I’d say we’re playing championship baseball,” Ayala said. “The talent, the kids – it’s all there. The growth and understanding – putting people away and playing pitch to pitch – those are the things we’ll continue to preach.”

Central Catholic is locked in a three-way tie with Oakdale and East Union.

The Raiders hope Sam Mundt can stop the bleeding. The Utah-bound senior is 2-2 with a 2.33 ERA.

“No one better,” Ayala said.

This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 11:34 PM with the headline "Central Catholic baseball can’t hold lead vs. No. 1 Manteca."