Petaluma tops unbeaten Ukiah to win Rabinowitz

Petaluma parlayed a strong pitching performance with some serious leather in a 3-1 win over Ukiah to capture the championship game of Montgomery High School’s Rabinowitz Tourney during spring break.

The game was decided in an exciting series of plays in the final chilly inning played on the Montgomery field in Santa Rosa.

The Trojans broke open a 1-1 game with a pair of runs against Wildcat starter Devin Kirby in the top of the seventh inning. Singles by Devin Gottschall, Porter Slate and Danny Marzo set the stage for a dramatic sacrifice fly by Logan Douglas that proved to be the winning run. Marzo scored later on a wild pitch.

Kirby came into the game as the Wildcat ace, and had not given up a run in the early season.

After Petaluma scored in the top of the seventh, the drama in the well-played finale was just starting.

Ukiah got some immediate action on the bases in the bottom of the inning on a hit batter and single that produced some stirring by the nervous Petaluma fans.

With runners on first and third, Ukiah coach Stephan Summers paused the action to put on an aggressive offensive play. Petaluma reacted with a series of signs in front of the plate by catcher Nick Andrakin.

With the game on the line, and the potential tying run dashing toward second, Andrakin fired a strike to Douglas, who cradled the ball in plenty of time for the tag and the second out of the inning while the runner at third remained on base.

Relief pitcher Conner Richardson then got the final out on a bouncer back to the mound, and the Trojans captured the tourney with a solid win over a good Ukiah team that came in with a record of 7-0-1, including tournament wins over Piner and Windsor.

“We would not have played it the same way if it was a one-run game,” noted Petaluma coach Jim Selvitella. “That runner at third meant nothing. The kids did a great job defensively through the entire tournament.”

Marzo and Slate had two hits each for the Trojans. One of the hits by Slate was a booming triple that set the stage for the first run of the game on the first of two clutch fly balls off the bat of Douglas. Slate improved his season batting average to .387.

Trojan starting pitcher Blake Buhrer had an excellent outing after a strong bullpen session between games. The Petaluma junior picked up the victory with 6? strong innings by yielding only four late-inning hits and one run. He had three strikeouts, including a key punch-out to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the second inning.

Buhrer picked up his second win of the season as the Trojans improved to 5-4.

Petaluma 7, Montgomery 0

Marzo shut down host Montgomery on only one hit over five innings as the Trojans moved into the championship round with a 7-0 victory on Thursday morning.

The stylish left-hander tossed his second spectacular game in two years at the tournament by facing only four batters over the minimum with few wasted pitches before exiting in the sixth frame with a 5-0 advantage. Marzo shut out Chico 5-0 in a 2016 tournament contest. Reliever Matius Lipsie finished the game facing only six batters in the final two innings.

The Vikings came into the game after edging Northgate of Walnut Creek, 3-1, but had no answer for Marzo and Lipsie. Only once did they threaten by virtue of a hit batter, an error and a base on balls. Petaluma escaped that fourth-inning threat on a soft fly ball to center fielder Kempton Brandis.

The Trojans pounded out at least one hit in every inning to control the contest from the second inning, when they scored three runs. Consecutive RBI hits by Marzo, Slate and Douglas set the tone for the rest of the game. The winning run was carried across the plate by pinch-runner Bobby Miller, who stole second base in front of the Marzo single.

Slate had a terrific game at the plate, reaching base four times on a walk and three hits, including an RBI triple.

Marzo, Andrakin and Austin Paretti all chipped in with two hits each.

The defensive gem of the contest was turned in by Douglas, who dove into the hole and made a one-bounce throw to first base to nail Aaron McDonald for the out. Brandis also made a one-handed catch in center field to close out the sixth inning.

Petaluma 12,?Sonoma Academy 0

The Trojans and Coyotes got the tournament off early Wednesday afternoon at Montgomery in a rain-interrupted game that the Trojans won convincingly, 12-0, in five innings. Originally scheduled for Doyle Park, the game was moved because of the damp playing conditions caused by an overnight rain.

Twice the contest at Montgomery was interrupted for a short time by the home plate umpire when sudden showers made pitching difficult. Play continued within minutes each time, and the Trojans continued to find holes with 13 hits, including a couple of doubles.

A four-run top of the second inning set the stage for the lopsided win as Petaluma coach Selvitella was able to make many early player substitutions.

Two runs scored on a double off the bat of Andrakin, and leadoff hitter Danny Marzo chipped in by pilfering two bases after knocking in a run. The victim of the early attack by the Trojans was lanky Coyote starter Jordan Salmonsen. Two Sonoma errors in the second frame aided the Petaluma rally.

Andrakin, Douglas and freshman Sam Brown accounted for two hits each for the Trojans.

Senior pitcher Bryce Smith made the most of his first start of the season by breezing through the initial four innings without giving up a run. Smith found the strike zone with regularity, and he yielded only three hits that rolled through the Trojan infield.

Four pitchers worked for the Coyotes from the North Central League II, but it was the work of Byron Spars who caught the attention of the fans. Spars relied exclusively on a knuckleball, and his fluttering off-speed pitches caused Trojan hitters to completely adjust their timing. Spars gave up only one run in the top of the third inning on a ringing double by Buhrer.

The Trojans worked smoothly in the infield behind Smith as they played error-less baseball. Douglas turned in three plays on balls grounded up the middle.

Sonoma suffered its second defeat of the season. It is the second season in the tournament for the North Central League II entry that split two games in 2016.

All Tournament

Slate was chosen the tournament’s Outstanding Hitter. Buhrer was picked Outstanding Pitcher.

Catcher/pitcher Andrakin, shortstop Douglas and pitcher/outfielder Marzo were chosen to the All-Tournament team.