Carlmont baseball hits first home run at Bill Hurst Field in three years, rallies for wild comeback against Menlo-Atherton

So, Wellman was surprised when he rounded second base and saw what he initially thought was his third-base coach holding up two fingers to signal a ground-rule double.

“When I was rounding second, I thought he put up a ‘two,’” Wellman said. “So, I was kind of heartbroken. I was like: ‘There’s no way! I swear I saw it go over!’”

Wellman quickly figured out his coach was merely celebrating the fact the ball indeed cleared the fence for a two-run blast. It was a big moment for the Scots as, not only was Wellman’s first varsity dinger, it also marks the first Carlmont home run at their home yard since April 26, 2023.

“Not in the last few seasons we haven’t (hit any home runs at home), unfortunately,” Scots manager Ryan Hamilton said. “But that is his power. His power is to left-center. So, if he’s able to do that consistently, he’s going to be really damn good.”

Wellman’s celebration as he finished his home run trot was quite the catharsis for Carlmont, after rallying back from an early 6-2 deficit. The Bears (3-3, 6-11) jumped out to the early lead courtesy of freshman No. 3 hitter Jake Scott’s big day at the plate, going 3 for 4, including back-to-back two-run singles in each of the first two innings.

A 6-2 freshman, Scott has established himself a middle-of-the-order presence for M-A in limited play, hitting safely in each of his five starts this season to record a .611 (11 for 18) batting average.

“We thought we were just going to bring him in for pitching,” M-A senior catcher MJ Ellazar said. “But his hitting has just taken a toll — and we love it.”

Scott earned the two-way start Friday, but while his stuff was crisp, it wasn’t exactly sharp. Despite recording five strikeouts, including four in the first inning, the big right-hander lasted just 1 2/3 inning after surrendering three runs (two earned) on two hits, a walk and three hit batsmen.

“His stuff is incredible,” Ellazar said. “Just a bad day on the mound for him.”

Carlmont starting pitcher Jacob Shinseki’s day didn’t start much better. After surrendering two runs in the top of the first, the Scots evened it up in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with a single by Zayden Luzzo, a walk to Levi Wellman and a hit batsman by Nolan Hahm, before Scott uncorked a pair of wild pitches to tie it 2-all.

M-A swung right back ahead against Carlmont’s sophomore left-hander, sending 10 batters to the plate in the top of the second. Scott’s two-out, two-run single to left to put the Bears back ahead 4-2. Oli Coupe followed with an RBI single over the third-base bag, and Masataka Shudo chopped an infield single up the third-base line to bring home courtesy runner Dylan Fluharty to make it 6-2.

Playing from behind, however, is the Scots’ bread and butter.

“We’ve been doing it all season,” Hamilton said. “Whether we’re up eight or down eight, we don’t change anything. And it’s not out of the ordinary for us to come back like that. It’s not the first time.”

Because Carlmont’s bullpen was light after using three arms Tuesday in a 14-7 loss at M-A, Hamilton had to let it ride with Shinseki. And the southpaw settled in to set down nine of the final 10 batters he faced to turn in five innings of work in a winning effort, improving his record to 6-2 with a 2,80 ERA.

“He’s been pitching his butt off all season, and an uncharacteristic start for him to start the game,” Hamilton said. “We needed length from him, and he was able to refocus. Mentally, he’s extremely strong. So, not surprised by him being able to bounce back. He’s been pitching like that all season.”

Carlmont swung ahead with a seven-run rally in the third.

Senior third baseman Ryan Weiss sparked the comeback with a leadoff single and, three batters later, senior Michael Nishikawa flared a single to right. They were the only hits of the inning for the Scots, as the M-A bullpen issued five walks and three hit batsmen in the frame, including Luzzo getting hit with the bases loaded to tie it, and Wellman following with a walk to force home courtesy runner Connor Chow with the go-ahead run.

“Literally, nothing phases us,” Wellman said. “When it was [6-2] we had the same mentality we had when we were up. So, that’s just kind of been our mentality the whole season.”

Shinseki then locked in on the mound, allowing just one baserunner from there on a leadoff single to Ellazar in the fifth. Shinseki’s catcher erased the runner, though, after M-A sophomore Lucas Ten Vaanholt switched places with the baserunner on a fielder’s choice grounder to third.

With M-A senior Max Brubacher at the plate, Shinseki buried a fastball in the dirt that Carlmont catcher Ryan Attard blocked with textbook mechanics. Attard took the ball off his chest protector, but as it careened in front of the plate and all the way onto the infield grass, Ten Vaanholt took off for second. Attard had some ground to cover, but the lifelong catcher came up throwing to peel off a strike to second to cut down the runner.

“At first I didn’t really think I had it,” Attard said. “But I realized if I got there as fast as I could, maybe I had a chance. And I ended up getting there as fast as I could and getting him.”

Junior right-hander Arnav Prathipati worked the final two innings to close it out, allowing two runs on three hits in the top of the seventh. M-A used six different pitchers in the game.

The two teams remain in a cluster in the middle of the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division standings, with five teams within a half game of one another. With first-place King’s Academy holding a comfortable lead, Burlingame and Carlmont are tied for second place, two games back. Sequoia, Menlo School and Menlo-Atherton are tied for fourth, a half game back of second.

“We still think we’re the best,” Ellazar said after the series split. “We still think we have a shot at the title. We’re not going to give up, and we’ll be ready next week.”