Baseball vs Vasquez

May 19, 2018

It was an action packed day in Action, California as the Rams used a late game rally to knock off the Vasquez Mustangs in the first round of the CIFss Division 7 playoffs by a 5-4 score in 10 innings. The victory makes the Rams 9-7 on the year.

Heading into the top of the seventh inning, the Rams trailed 4-2. The Mustang pitching staff had kept the Cate bats quiet for the better part of the afternoon and, in fact, Cate was down to their last two outs. That’s when the rally really kicked into gear. Jack Deardorff ’19 got it going after being hit by a pitch and after Dalton Phillips ’20 singled, Daniel Panadero ’21 dropped a ball into the outfield to cut the deficit to one. The rally continued when Emily Burns ’18 hit a ball that the Mustang second baseman was unable to handle, scoring the tying run and sending the game to extra innings.

The Rams had chances score during the 8th and 9th innings, but it wasn’t until the 10th that the game winning run came across. Once again, Jack Deardorff ’19 got it started with a single and Ethan Cassulo ’19 followed with a booming double. After an intentional walk to Dalton Phillips ’20 and a Cate strikeout, Emily Burns ’18 stepped to the plate with a chance to put the Rams up. With the tension high, Burns ’18 punched one into center field, scoring Jack Deardorff ’19 and putting the Rams up for good.

Dalton Phillips ’20 helped the way for the Rams, going 3-5 with a double. William Deardorff ’21 also doubled for Cate, as did Ethan Cassulo ’19. Patrick Armstrong ’18 picked up three hits for the Rams, while Jack Deardorff ’19 added two and Daniel Panadero ’21 and Emily Burns added one each.

Jack Deardorff ’19 was phenomenal on the mound for Cate. The right hander went 8 and two thirds innings, yielding just 4 runs (3 earned) and striking out four. He was relieved by Ethan Cassulo ’19 who came in and slammed the door, throwing 1 and a third innings and giving up just one hit. The gloves were on all afternoon for Cate, as William Deardorff ’21, Dalton Phillips ’20, and Will Anderson ’20 made great plays all game long.

All season long this group has battled no matter what the situation. Lots of teams would have folded up shop after being down 4-2 in the seventh but not this group. The heart, grit, and fight has been there all season and I’m so proud of their effort today. I can speak for the rest of the coaching staff when I say that we are thrilled to keep this group together for a at least a few more days.

Special thanks to Mr. Deardorff for capturing Emily’s game winning hit (link below)

The Rams will advance to the second round of the CIFss playoffs. Cate will take on de Toledo High School at Cate on Tuesday, May 22. First pitch is tentatively scheduled for 3:15.