The experience was there, the talent and tools were there, the fans were there (eventually), and the opportunity was in their grasp; but at the end of the night, the CIF Championship plaque went home with the Simi Valley Pioneers, who beat the Wilson Bruins 4-1 in nine innings. The defending national champions ended the night watching Simi Valley celebrate at Dodger Stadium, as emotional seniors consoled each other and younger players eyed the opposing dugout with fire in their eyes, visions of next year perhaps already playing out in their minds.
Aaron Hicks and the starting pitcher for Simi Valley, Drew Sandler, both threw well through seven plus innings, which ended with both teams knotted at 1-1. The Bruins scored first, in the bottom of the second inning, after Sandler walked in a run with the bases loaded. That brought Hicks to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. Fans on both sides of the stadium held their breath, but Hicks struck out to end the inning. The Pioneers scored shortly thereafter in the top of the third, when first baseman Eric Bernstein drove in teammate Nick Russo on an RBI single. Russo got on base after Wilson third baseman Zach Wilson overthrew first base by a few yards on what should have been a routine ground out.
From there on it was Hicks and Sandler giving dominant pitching performances, while Hicks struck out eight. Most of the Wilson fans missed the scoring, as the Long Beach side didn’t fill up until the bottom of the third. There was hope of ending the game on time at the bottom of the seventh, but Ryan Endres struck out looking with the winning run on third base and Aaron Hicks on deck.
A pumped and emotional Hicks, eager to take a shot at a game winning smash, blew through the Pioneers in the top of the eighth, striking out the second two Pioneers with heat that warmed the cool southern California night. Then in the bottom of the eighth, Sandler walked him, setting up a steal to second that everyone in attendance knew was coming. What nobody expected, least of all Hicks, was that he’d soon be caught and tagged in a pickle between second and third. Wilson had seemed on the brink of scoring in two consecutive innings, but after Zach Wilson hit into a double play, they headed into the ninth still tied at one, with the whole crowd wondering if they’d missed too many opportunities.
The ninth started with Hicks hitting the first two batters (though the second call was dicey), and then coming to the dugout to be relieved by Ray Hanson, who started Tuesday’s semi-victory. Hanson struck out Jonathan Meyer, then walked Chance Cross to load the bases with just one out. With Kyle Raskin up to bat, the Pioneers went for a suicide squeeze; since Raskin missed the bunt, it shouldn’t have worked. But instead of looking him back, catcher Tanner Perkins tried to catch the runner at third. His throw to Zach Wilson was high, allowing the run to score. After that a double by Nick Russo drove in two more runs, giving the Pioneers a 4-1 lead and making Wilson’s chances of repeating as CIF champs very slim indeed.
Three outs later, it was over.
After the game, manager Andy Hall talked about what was on the mind of every Wilson player and fan there: the missed opportunities. “We beat ourselves,” he said. “Not to take anything away from Simi…But we should have been on the bus an hour ago.” Hall, his team, and the Bruin faithful will be left wondering: Wilson lost by a margin of three; but was the loss from the 4-1 score, or Wilson’s 3-0 “advantage” in the error column?
For video highlights, and an interview with Wilson manager Andy Hall, check out J.J.’s video (a hearty thanks to local band From Cities to Oceans for the soundtrack song, “Underwater Scene” off their album, Morning Outside Provo—to check out more of their music at myspace.com/fromcitiestooceans).