Trojans win playoff thriller over San Lorenzo

Petaluma got a solid relief performance from senior Matius Lipsie and held on to defeat San Lorenzo, 5-4, on Tuesday afternoon to advance to the second round of the North Coast Section Division 2 baseball playoffs.

Lipsie was forced into action in the top of the third inning when Trojan starter Blake Buhrer was sidelined with elbow discomfort. The Trojan reliever hardly blinked as he worked four-plus strong frames until the hosts pushed across a couple of unearned runs in the seventh.

An error by the Trojan infield and a double coupled with a balk call and a sacrifice fly got the Rebels close, but Conner Richardson came in to close the show. The Trojan season now continues with a second-round home game on Friday against the Ukiah-Washington winner.

While the reliable Richardson picked up the save, it was Lipsie who was accepting congratulations all around for his masterful performance when the chips were down. He was credited with his third win of the season in his ninth appearance. He issued only one free pass.

“Blake’s elbow got stiff out there,” explained coach Jim Selvitella as the coaches scrambled to get him an ice bag between innings. “Matius stepped up and did a great job. That is why this is a team game.”

Petaluma had every opportunity to break the game wide open as the Trojans loaded the bases in four of the six innings that they came to the plate. Only once did the Trojans take advantage of their scoring opportunities, when Porter Slate slammed a long three-run triple into the gap in the second inning. Slate also nearly missed leaving the park in the first inning on a loud foul ball that hooked wide of the pole.

The first-round game was played in the East Bay because San Lorenzo won the championship in the West Alameda Shoreline League. While the Rebels got a home date, they acted as the visiting team on the field because of tournament seeding.

There was also lots of activity near the field of play as the San Lorenzo campus is bordered by visible traffic on the busy 238 Freeway beyond the outfield fence and constant railroad whistles near the front side of the campus. It didn’t appear to bother the Trojans’ concentration as they banged out 10 hits and chased starter Jonathon Sira after four innings.

It was the second game between the two teams. They had played an early season pre-league tilt in March won by the Rebels, 12-11.

The Trojans held a 4-2 lead in the game that really counted behind the work of Lipsie through the midpoint, but the Rebels re-energized the home crowd with two runs in the final inning before Richardson shut things down.

Leadoff batter Danny Marzo had an outstanding offensive outing for Petaluma with a double and a couple of singles. He scored two runs and stole a base in the sixth inning. Marzo has a team-leading .489 batting average. Seven Trojans also dented the hit column as they improved to 18-9 for the season.

Lanky left fielder Bradley Smith brought some additional life into the Trojan dugout when he dropped a perfect bunt for a base hit in the fifth frame and the ball was overthrown at first base. Smith, showing surprising speed for a larger player, sprinted around the bases, and steamed into third to the delight of his teammates and the Trojan fans.

Senior left fielder Aaron Johnson of the Rebels was a major annoyance to the Trojan defense, reaching base four times including a game-opening triple off Petaluma starter Buhrer.

San Lorenzo, seeded 12th in the brackets, ends its season with an overall record of 15-11-1.