Modesto’s Big Valley Christian falls short of section baseball title

Big Valley Christian High School’s Justin Bond pitched well enough to win Monday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII baseball championship at Sacramento City College.

So did Corey Cater of Valley Christian Academy of Roseville.

Cater outdueled Bond, who was the victim of five errors, as Valley Christian won its seventh section title in nine years, 6-1.

“Their pitcher threw a great game,” Big Valley Christian coach James Parker said after his final game at the helm. “He threw strikes, got ahead with his fastball and then had us chasing his slider.”

Parker guided Big Valley to its first Central California Athletic Alliance championship this season and the school’s sixth postseason appearance. His Lions hoped to win the school’s second blue banner this month. Big Valley Christian’s softball team captured the D-VII section crown with a 4-1 win over Rio Vista on May 21.

Instead, the baseball team matched the school’s football team, which finished runner-up to Stone Ridge Christian.

“To win a game like this, you have to play well in two of the three phases of the game – hitting, pitching and defense,” Parker said. “Today, we had just one of the three.”

That wasn’t good enough against a team playing in its ninth consecutive section championship game.

Bond gave up three runs in the first inning. He allowed a two-run single to Donovan Gonzalez, and an errant throw allowed Gonzalez to move into scoring position. The Valley Christian third baseman scored when designated hitter Collin Andrews hit a blooper that fell just in front of right fielder Ryley McHenry and behind first baseman Jarred Thompson.

From there, however, Bond was in command in 90-degree heat. After working around a leadoff error in the second and a hit batter, he retired nine consecutive batters and 10 of 11. He gave way to Thompson after the first two hitters in the sixth reached. Those runners and another scored to make it 6-1.

Big Valley Christian scored its run in the third when Tyler Meyer doubled to left-center to drive in Brian Scheg. The Lions’ first two batters in the second inning reached, but they couldn’t capitalize.

“We felt that we were close to getting the big hit,” said Bond, who will participate in next month’s Modesto Sunrise Rotary All-Star Game. “Our coach says there are three parts to the game: pitching, hitting and fielding. And their team came out with all three of them.”

Of Big Valley Christian’s five errors, four were throwing miscues that allowed a run or permitted a runner to move into scoring position and take away the force play.

“Justin pitched great for us today,” said Parker, who is leaving Big Valley Christian to take a vice principal’s position at Martone Elementary School in Modesto. “We just didn’t play our game today. We needed to play a perfect game. Good wasn’t going to be good enough.”

This story was originally published May 30, 2016 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Modesto’s Big Valley Christian falls short of section baseball title."