El Camino’s Colt Field saves the day in rivalry game with South City

The classic diamond, notorious for its short porch in center field, played host Saturday to the annual baseball rivalry game against the South City Warriors, with the Colts rolling to a 10-2 victory. It marks the fifth straight year El Camino has won the rivalry “Glove” trophy and completes a dominant era for the school’s senior class, which has not lost to South City in baseball or football for the past three years, an unprecedented feat in Colts history.

“Both in football and baseball, I’ve never lost a game to South City in my career,” El Camino senior Noel Valdez said. “I grew up in this program. … It means a lot. It truly does, just representing the city of South San Francisco and just putting my best foot forward and giving it all I’ve got.”

The venue was a late change to the schedule as South City was originally slated to host the lone game between the rivals this season. However, South City’s new diamond has been prohibited from game play for the remainder of the season due to foul balls wreaking havoc on neighboring houses just beyond the diamond’s backstop.

“After our first two games, basically too many of our foul balls were going into the houses,” South City manager Matt Schaukowitch said. “So, the neighbors complained, and we were told we couldn’t play any more games until we get some kind of netting system to cover the first base line.”

According to Schaukowitch, who also serves as South City’s athletic director, the school is looking into extending the top of the partitioning fence from 50 to 80 feet higher. The Warriors still use the diamond for practice, as they place a temporary rollaway batting cage around home plate. For game play, the Warriors will host games two-and-a-half miles away at Westborough Park.

El Camino second-year manager Brian Ghilarducci celebrated his first career win at the helm over the Warriors. A graduate of El Camino, Ghilarducci also won two games against South City as a player.

Ghilarducci, however, had been looking forward to playing the game at South City before the venue change was made a week prior.

“I was a little disappointed just because I wanted to see the new field at South City has,” Ghilarducci said. “We don’t get too many new fields. So, I was excited to go. But … I’m not going to complain any time I can get a home game.”

El Camino (3-2 overall) seized on the home field advantage by scoring in each of the first five innings. Valdez — playing in his fourth game since making the transition from El Camino’s starting varsity quarterback — went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. He also just missed a second homer, as his first inning flyout was drilled to the deepest part of the yard in straightaway left field.

“The first one I hit it right on the spot and I thought it had a chance,” Valdez said. “But they were playing deep, and the outfielder did a good job.”

Valdez returned to baseball action April 13 against Riordan, four days prior to El Camino’s football finale April 17 against South City. He is currently 6 for 9 at the plate.

“The kid, he’s a hard worker,” Ghilarducci said. “He was out here, actually, before football practice taking swings. And during football he’d shut it down, then on Saturday’s I’d be out here working with him. Any chance he got he’d be out here on the baseball field.”

Joey Pierotti had two hits out of the leadoff spot for El Camino. And junior catcher Isaiah Rose had a solid day behind the plate handling three different pitchers, including starter Jonathan Gonzales and reliever Josh Mathiesen. Rose also showed off his arm by cutting down two would-be base stealers.

“He’s a true catcher,” Ghilarducci said. “You can’t replace a guy like that. He’s a junior, so I’ve got him for another year. So, I’m happy about that. … He knows the game inside out; he’s a leader behind the dish; he takes control; and he’s got a live arm, so he throws a lot of runners out.”

Now, about that notorious short porch in center field.

Last April, a video published by national baseball vlog Jomboy Media titled “Weird High School Baseball Fields” made the rounds on social media. Colt Field made the cut as one of the top 10, of what narrator of Jomboy Media, James Vincent Michael O’Brien, who can’t seem to settle on a name, calls the weird/bad baseball fields.

O’Brien observed the grounds beyond the center field wall as “all these basketball courts behind the tennis field, you’re not using those.” Topography much, Jomboy? Ironically enough, those basketball courts are precisely where the new Elco softball diamond is located.

When asked about the Jomboy Media video, Ghilarducci, a South San Francisco native, offered a pure South San Francisco response.

“I grew up on this field since I was 6 years old,” Ghilarducci said. “I grew up across the street. So, to me, it goes to our favor because a lot of kids don’t like playing here. So, our guys are comfortable because this is where we play every single day. For me, I like it. They can talk stuff about it all they want. Until the play here, they can’t say anything.”

Ghilarducci did give O’Brien credit for getting part of his assessment right.

“In a sense he did, just because there’s a short porch to center,” Ghilarducci said. “But the bats have changed these days, so not too many kids really hit the ball over that fence. Guys like [Valdez], of course; true baseball players, they’re going to get theirs here. If you’re not familiar with this field and you want to go for that fence, you usually get groundout, rollouts.”

South City (0-10) and El Camino did not play last season due to the pandemic cancelations.