Bel-Mateo opens regionals with grueling win

Frankie Attard entered in relief in the sixth and fired three shutout innings to earn the win. And his offense came to life in the eighth, rallying for three runs, including a two-run single by Devin Cuschieri.

“It was a really well-pitched game, and we played really well defensively,” Bel-Mateo manager Collin Kandarian said. “It was all around a really great game. It was probably my favorite game to watch ever.”

It’s easy to “favorite” a game in retrospect, but there was plenty of drama to keep Bel-Mateo’s skipper on his toes.

Starting pitcher Max Silicani allowed just two hits through five-plus innings of work, but navigated through three walks and four hit batsmen.

“He’s wild but when he calms himself down he gets outs,” Kandarian said. “… The kid has a lot of heart. He’s not a strikeout pitcher, he’s a contact pitcher.”

Tahoe stranded four runners at third base in the game, but the Nevada champs’ best opportunity came in the fifth inning with a runner on second when Silicani surrendered a single to left field. But Bel-Mateo left fielder Nick Chea came up with a crisp relay throw to the shortstop R.J. Abad, who in turn threw a strike to catcher Nik Janke to nail the runner at home plate.

“[Chea] rifled it to the relay, and [Abad] rifled it home to get the guy out by two or three feet,” Kandarian said. “It was probably one of my favorite plays since I’ve been coaching. … It was ecstatic. It was insane. I went insane … I was shaking in my pants once it was hit. I was like, ‘there’s a run.’ And when that relay came in, it was not a run.”

Janke had good day with the bat as well, going 2 for 3 with a sacrifice bunt.

Through Bel-Mateo’s championship run in the state tournament earlier this month, Abad turned in several defensive gems. But this play was his defensive highlight of the summer by far, according to Kandarian.

“That kid has been a stud,” Kandarian said.

Bel-Mateo outlasted a Tahoe pitching staff that dazzled through regulation. After striking out 12 times through the first seven innings, Bel-Mateo generated the game-winning rally against the Tahoe bullpen in the eighth.

Parker Crouse singled to start the inning then moved into scoring position with a stolen base. Abad followed by reaching on an infield grounder to put runners at the corners. Then after Abad advanced to second on defensive indifference, Tahoe uncorked a wild pitch allowing Crouse to score the go-ahead run.

After walks to Jorge Chavarin and Nick Rogers loaded the bases, Cuschieri singled to left field to drive home two big insurance runs. Not that you’d know it by Bel-Mateo’s reaction, according to Kandarian.

“It was actually pretty calm,” Kandarian said. “It was not as crazy as I thought it was going to be. The stands were more ecstatic I think, but my kids, they know it’s still not over.”

Bel-Mateo was in good shape with its terminator Attard on the mound though. The right-hander faced just one over the minimum through three innings of work — navigating through an eighth-inning walk — then running the count to 3-0 to the final batter before bouncing back for the final out.

“He likes to do that,” Kandarian said. “He kind of reminds me of (former Giants closer) Brian Wilson where he gets them 3-0 and he comes back to strike them out. He scares me … but he’s done really well.”

The win puts Bel-Mateo into the regional winners’ bracket for the first time in program history. The red-and-blue advances to Wednesday’s second round to face Torrence-Southern California.

The Pacific Southwest Region is a double-elimination tournament composed of 10 teams, ranging from California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and the U.S. territory of Guam.

Play continues through the week with the championship round slated for Saturday. The winner advances to the Babe Ruth League World Series, Aug. 9-16 in Longview, Washington.