Menlo School nabs DVI title

“Schnell’s our horse,” Menlo manager David Trujillo said.

Well, the Knights (21-9) rode their horse to Central Coast Section playoff glory. Schnell scattered just three hits to record the complete-game victory in No. 1-seed Menlo’s 3-1 win over No. 3 Lincoln-San Jose (21-7) on a Thursday night of destiny at Excite Ballpark. The CG is Schnell’s third straight, and his seventh in the last eight games.

“I’ve never seen a kid battle like him,” Trujillo said. “He’s another animal. We couldn’t have done it without that guy.”

Schnell leads the Menlo staff with 90 2/3 innings pitched this season, followed by junior Ben Salama (53 1/3) and sophomore Jackson Flanagan (33 2/3). Despite the thin pitching depth, Schnell said he knew this team had that special something at the start of the year — a special something to turn around a program that posted a mere 2-17 record during his freshman season in 2021.

“I think the last three years we’ve had some really great teams and great teamwork,” Schnell said. “But I think this year it just really felt like there was something different about this team with the mindset, and just the way that we went about our games, practices, and every morning lift that we had. There was something special. We really knew we could do something from the start of the season, and this is exactly how we wanted to end it.”

Schnell had to navigate a dicey first inning, however, as Lincoln jumped on the Menlo ace. Lorenzo Collazo got hit by a pitch to open the game and, after a textbook sacrifice bunt by No. 2 hitter Daniel Saavedra, scored the game’s first run on a two-out single by Diego Casorla.

It was the only run Lincoln would score off Schnell.

The senior right-hander established his breaking pitch from the early going. After he pitched through a jam — Joey Tellucci reached second base with one out but would be stranded there — Lincoln wouldn’t advance another runner into scoring position.

“They could not hit his slider,” Menlo catcher Chuck Wynn said. “Nobody can hit his slider. We’re going to keep the train rolling as long as possible.”

Lincoln countered with Casorla, a senior right-hander, who pitched through jams in the second and third. Menlo jumped ahead 2-1 with single runs in each of those innings, but the damage could have been much worse had Casorla not buckled down.

“We were chasing up from the first inning on,” Trujillo said. “Fastballs up were beating us and every inning we kept telling them: ‘Hunt down. Hunt fastballs down.’ And had to put some guys in motion a little bit, a couple hit-and-runs to get guys moving.”

Renner Barnett sparked the offense in the second with a leadoff double, a line shot down the left-field line that two-hopped the wall. Jake Sonsini followed with a single and Salama walked to load the bases. Then Flanagan, the No. 9 hitter, got hit by a pitch to force home Barnett with the tying run.

Casorla stranded the bases loaded though. Then in the second, the Knights took the lead on an unearned run. After Garrett Tran got hit by a pitch to open the frame, Wynn executed a hit-and-run by belting a single center, only to have the center fielder misplay the ball, allowing Tran to score all the way from first.

“Their pitcher, he was really good tonight,” Wynn said. “We just had to overcome adversity and unite as one and conquer it.”

Wynn moved to third base on a wild pitch with one out, but Casorla got the last two outs to strand him there. In the fourth, Salama led off with a single and promptly stole second but would advance no farther as Casorla set down the next three batters in order.

“It’s a big game,” Trujillo said. “They’ve never been in it either, so a little pressure on them — nerves and stuff, trying to do too much. But when we swing at good pitches, good things happen.”

That good thing happened in the sixth when Menlo scored a key insurance run. Tran drew a one-out walk, then advanced to third on a solid single by Wynn.

With runners at the corners, Menlo put the wheel steal in motion. Lincoln tried to counter it with a trick play, with catcher Ryan Rogers throwing to the shortstop, who looked as though he was cutting off the throw on the fringe of the grass to mind the runner at third, but then tried to cleverly flip the ball to the second baseman covering the bag. The ball flip was mishandled by the second baseman, however, allowing Tran to race home from third.

Schnell did the rest. Lincoln had gotten its leadoff runner on in the sixth on an infield error, but second baseman Luke Rogers followed by starting a 4-6-3 double play. Schnell set down the last eight batters he faced, with a liner to Rogers to set off the celebration in the middle of the infield.

“I’m kind of at a loss for words right now,” said Trujillo, who was managing his first CCS championship game. “I’m just very excited, very proud of them. A lot of hard work went into this. And just a great group of kids. They’re like family.”

The CCS title is Menlo’s eighth all-time. The Knights are now 8-2 in CCS title games, with their last championship coming in 2017.

Menlo now advances to the CIF Reginal Baseball Championships. Brackets will be announced Sunday with play opening Tuesday.