Less than 24 hours after the coaches’ confrontation, the exchange of lineup cards looked different.
One handshake. No eye contact. No words. No handshake followed the umpire’s pregame speech like the day before.
But once the first pitch was thrown, St. Mary’s looked exactly like itself.
“Do the same thing tomorrow,” coach Jason Lindholm told his players after the confrontation with Lincoln coach Peter Pijl. “Just got to keep it rolling.”
They did.
Fresh off being announced as Tri-City Athletic League champions for the sixth straight year, the Rams rolled into Lincoln and routed the Trojans 11-3 on Tuesday, April 28, to take Game 2 of the three-game series.
The rivalry series concludes Wednesday, April 29.
“Things get chippy sometimes, but we all have each other’s backs,” second baseman David Haggerty said. “We show that through our play. Our play does the talking.”
Once again, St. Mary’s offense was clicking, with shortstop Dylan Patten leading the way by going 2-for-2 with three RBIs and Haggerty adding a 3-for-3, two-RBI performance.
Third baseman Ethan Silva stayed hot at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with one RBI, while Mississippi State commit Dax Hardcastle chipped in two RBIs.
“I feel like we responded great,” Patten said. “We had great at-bats, great defense. Honestly, once we started relaxing, having fun and playing our game, I felt like they had no chance.”
The pitching made sure of it.
On the mound, Cal State Northridge signee Giani Camacho worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits, two earned runs, six walks and striking out nine.
“My location wasn’t the best today, but I trusted my pitches and kept attacking,” Camacho said. “I caused weak contact all day, which is a good sign. It means the pitches were moving. I know I can still be a lot better.”
‘All it takes is one person’
It’s one of baseball’s most telling statistics — the drop-off pitchers often face once the opposing lineup sees them for a second time.
More often than not, pitchers perform worse after that first trip through the order.
St. Mary’s has made a habit of taking advantage of it all season, and Lincoln starter Brayden Glaser became the latest example.
After getting through the first seven batters without allowing a hit, Glaser’s rhythm changed in the third inning when No. 8 hitter Moses Alexander and No. 9 hitter Gino Lovotti reached base.
“All it takes is one person,” Haggerty said. “We all have each other’s backs, and once one person gets it started, we all build off that and do our thing.”
Silva broke through with an RBI single. Hardcastle followed with one of his own. After right fielder Dawson Labarthe moved both runners into scoring position, Haggerty added another RBI single.
Then, Patten delivered the biggest swing of the inning, driving a shot to left-center field for a two-run triple.
“I was getting a lot of good feedback from my teammates,” Patten said. “We started squaring balls up, and I felt good in my first at-bat, so I just stayed with it and roped that one.”
For good measure, catcher Maddox Rabara added an RBI single to score Patten and push the lead to 6-0.
“We’ve done a good job of that all year,” Lindholm said. “Seeing a pitcher once, then making adjustments and getting better.”
Times through the order penalty showed up in more than just the batter’s box — it reached the basepaths, too.
The Rams stole six of their seven bases after the third inning, including three in the fourth.
Silva swiped third, Haggerty stole third and Patten took second, putting all three in scoring position. Haggerty and Patten eventually scored after Glaser was pulled, but it was too little, too late as the lead grew to 10-2.
“If they’re not holding us on at second and third is open, you might as well take it,” Lindholm said. “It was huge.”
‘We can be better’
Many would have been content.
Nine strikeouts marked the second-highest single-game total of his career.
Less than a week earlier, he had signed his letter of intent to play Division I baseball at the next level.
He already had a perfect game earlier in the season, and with a Sacramento City College scout behind home plate clocking his fastball at 90 to 92 mph in the opening innings, there was already plenty to feel good about.
His teammates certainly noticed.
“Giani is a great pitcher,” Patten said. “He was dealing. We just try to make him as comfortable as we can on defense because we know how special he is when we do.”
Not Camacho.
His focus stayed on the six walks. The two passed balls that flew over Rabara’s head, sending Glaser from first to third before Taylor Tran drove him in. And Izaak Hill adding another RBI on the very next pitch in the second inning.
“I know I can be much better,” Camacho said. “I just have to keep dialing it in a little more during my in-week bullpens. I think we’ll have a good run in the playoffs.”
Lindholm added, “His performance was good, but he’s capable of a lot more. I’m sure he’ll tell you that. He probably isn’t satisfied. There’s still a lot more there with him.”
That’s what makes him a Division I pitcher. It’s also what makes St. Mary’s the No. 1 team in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
The ability to hold themselves to that standard.
“We’re getting better at the right time,” Lindholm said. “But I still think there’s another level for them. We can still be even better. That’s what they have to keep reminding themselves — we can be better.”
This article originally appeared on The Record: TCAL champions St. Mary’s lets its play talk, routs Lincoln in Game 2
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
