Things are never quiet when St. Mary’s and Lincoln meet.
Players jawed with players. Players jawed with coaches. Coaches jawed with players. Coaches jawed with coaches. Everybody had something to say.
That’s what comes with a 70-plus-year rivalry that never really cools off.
In the end, St. Mary’s had the final say, beating Lincoln 6-1 at home Monday, April 28, in the opener of the three-game series.
The series continues Tuesday, April 29, at Lincoln before returning to St. Mary’s for Game 3 on Wednesday, April 30. First pitch for both games is scheduled for 4 p.m.
“I’ve been proud of them all year,” St. Mary’s coach Jason Lindholm said. “They just keep working. After a few tough losses early on, we told them to keep going, trust themselves and we’d keep getting better. I think that’s exactly what’s happening.”
Second baseman Ethan Silva added, “Lincoln is our crosstown rival. To come out here and win Game 1 means a lot. We’re hoping to keep it going and take the league.”
In his final regular-season start for St. Mary’s, UCLA commit Nico Bavaro delivered another dominant outing, tossing a complete game with 13 strikeouts, two hits allowed and no earned runs. Over his four-year varsity career, he has compiled a 1.19 ERA with 242 strikeouts in 176 1/3 innings pitched.
The only blemish came with two outs in the seventh inning, when he fielded a ground ball and sent the throw over first baseman Jeremy Krause’s head, allowing Lincoln’s Colin Stedtfeld to score from first.
“Just mixing all the pitches,” Bavaro said. “Throwing the slider and the changeup whenever I wanted to, getting the fastball by guys. Everything was working. The pickoff move, obviously, is kind of fun. When it all comes together, it feels really good.”
The offense gave him plenty of support.
Eight of the nine hitters in the lineup recorded a hit, with Silva leading the way by going 1-for-4 with three RBIs. Krause, Gino Lovotti and Maddox Rabara each drove in a run.
“People were doing their job,” Silva said. “Putting balls in play, not trying to do too much, just passing the bat to the next guy. That’s what we do really well as a team — passing the stick and having quality at-bats.”
After the final out, Lindholm and Lincoln coach Peter Pijl exchanged words in the handshake line as tensions rose before both walked away.
“Don’t talk to my players,” Lindholm said.
‘Confidence comes from preparation’
Holding back has never really been Bavaro’s style.
He enjoys the friendly banter and, every now and then, a little showmanship.
Not out of arrogance. Not out of cockiness. Just trust in the work he has put in.
“Confidence comes from preparation,” Bavaro said. “When I’m on the mound, I think I’m the best pitcher in the world.”
By the fourth inning, Bavaro was in a flow state.
Since allowing a leadoff double to Trey Jackson, he had struck out seven of the last 12 batters he faced and had not given up another hit.
When he froze Brayden Glaser looking for his eighth strikeout to end the inning, he made sure he heard it.
“All day.”
“There aren’t many kids like him,” Lindholm said. “He works his tail off.”
It only continued.
Four of the next five batters he faced struck out.
“Nico’s great,” Silva said. “When we’re on defense, there’s no worry. We know he’s going to make his pitches and get ground balls. Our job is just to back him up and make the plays.”
Despite Aiden Williams giving Lincoln just its second hit with two outs in the sixth inning, Bavaro erased it almost immediately, picking him off first base moments later.
And once again, he let his words fly.
This time, Lincoln’s first base coach fired back.
“Obviously, rivalry games are always really fun,” Bavaro said. “I just did what I could do and enjoyed it a little bit. They’re always great games.”
So when Bavaro flashed the iconic Michael Jordan shoulder shrug toward Lincoln’s dugout after strikeout No. 13 ended the game, it wasn’t arrogance or cockiness — it was trust in the work behind it.
The same work that will have him playing for the No. 1 team in college baseball next year.
“There aren’t many kids like him,” Lindholm said. “He’ll go down as one of the all-time greats at St. Mary’s. He works his tail off. When he’s on the mound, he’s so locked in you can’t even talk to him. That’s what you love to see.”
‘Uh-oh’
Before Silva could dig in, the dugout already knew.
“Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.”
David Haggerty, Dylan Patten and Rabara each singled to load the bases, setting up RBI singles from Jeremy Krause and Lovotti that pushed the lead to 2-0 in the second inning.
With the bases still loaded, Silva was the last hitter Lincoln wanted to see.
He had been red-hot all April, including last week’s 6-for-9, eight-RBI, three-home run series against Merrill West.
“It feels really good to know that there’s gonna be a home for me next year,” Silva said. “A lot of West Coast schools are starting to reach out. I didn’t have a single Division I offer beforehand.”
Lindholm added, “He deserves all of it and more. Whether it’s workouts, practice or games, he gives 120% in everything he does. It’s showing out here on the field.”
Even as the count ran full, the dugout never changed its message.
“Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.”
Silva made good on it, ripping a bases-clearing double to center field.
“I was really just trying to simplify things,” Silva said. “Put the ball in play, do my job and bring a run in. It just happened to be a ball in the gap that scored all three.”
St. Mary’s kept it rolling in the third inning, when Rabara drove in Patten to stretch the lead to 6-0.
“Our guys were just being patient,” Lindholm said. “Tran was mixing in a lot of offspeed pitches, and we did a good job staying patient and seeing them well. We’ve been like that all year — staying patient and putting together one or two big innings, and that was enough today.”
This article originally appeared on The Record: UCLA commit Nico Bavaro leads St. Mary’s past Lincoln in heated opener
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
