Petaluma ends SCL with baseball tourney title

Petaluma wins baseball tournament in final event ever for the Sonoma County League.|

What the championship game of the Sonoma County League baseball tournament lacked in excitement was more than made up for by historic significance.

For the record, Petaluma’s Trojans swatted aside Analy in the championship game last Friday night at Arnold Field in Sonoma, 14-1, with the game ending after five innings.

The game was more than just a game, it was the last game, the last sporting event of any kind likely to be played in the Sonoma County League. After 40 years of existence, the league is being disbanded, with Analy, El Molino, Piner, Elsie Allen and Healdsburg moving to an expanded two-division North Bay League and Petaluma and Sonoma Valley joining the newly created Vine Valley Athletic League.

Adding even more nostalgia to Friday’s farewell event, Petaluma and Analy were both members of the SCL when it was formed and have continued their rivalry for four decades.

That rivalry, at least as a league rivalry, ended Friday in a barrage of Petaluma hits that dripped from the dark Sonoma sky.

After starting with a preliminary three-run rally in the first inning, featuring a long two-run double by Sam Brown, Petaluma took a firm grasp of the championship trophy with a 10-run explosion in the second frame.

Petaluma sent 16 batters to the plate and rapped nine hits during the barrage. There was also a walk and two hit batters in an inning that threatened to never end. Jack Gallagher, who started the show with a single, had two hits in the inning, as did Danny Marzo and Nick Andrakin.

By the third inning, Petaluma coach Jim Selvitella was already clearing his bench with a string of pinch-hitters.

“This was really special for Petaluma High School,” he said. “We are really proud to win the last SCL baseball title. Our theme over the last few games has been ‘focus,’ and we were able to do that in the tournament.”

Gallagher and Andrakin led the Petaluma hitting parade, each going 3-for-3.

Freshman Gavin Ochoa started on the mound for Petaluma and gave up the Tiger run on four hits in three innings. Jacob Tuchband and Jake Duca each worked a scoreless inning before the whole affair was called off after five innings with the Trojans holding a 13-run lead.

Petaluma received a masterful pitching performance from Blake Buhrer in a 10-0 tournament semifinal win over El Molino. Buhrer allowed just one hit over six innings, walking two and striking out seven.

The Trojans were focused on hitting, breaking the game open with five runs in the fourth inning and finishing it early with two in the sixth for a 10-run lead.

Kempton Brandis and Devin Gottschall led the hit parade with three each. Slate and Marzo each had two hits. Bradley Smith slugged a long triple.

The two tournament triumphs send Petaluma into the North Coast Section playoffs with an 18-8 overall record.

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