Palo Alto ends Pacifica’s run, captures 14s crown

Instead, 12 of the 13 members from that group decided to run it back in 2025, this time taking on the District 52 14s tournament.

And it was the same result as Palo Alto won its second straight District 52 crown. Palo Alto used a six-run second inning to propel it to a 9-4 win over Pacifica in the 14s championship game at McGarvey Field at Red Morton Park in Redwood City Thursday evening.

“They’re really good friends,” Lo said of his team. “They like to play together.”

There would be no Cinderella finish for a Pacifica squad that was playing its sixth game in six day and was coming off an emotional 6-5 win over Half Moon Bay Wednesday to advance to Thursday’s championship game.

And Pacifica seemed to keep that momentum from Wednesday’s dramatic win to beginning Thursday’s title game as it scratched out a run in the top of the first inning. Uzziah Hermosillo led off the game with a bloop single to right. Marcus Sanderson followed with a walk and both moved up a bag on a double steal before William Gatley gave Pacifica a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to center, driving in Hermosillo.

But Palo Alto starting pitcher Nate Signorello-Katz escaped without further damage before settling in for a strong four-inning outing, limiting Pacifica to one run on four hits.

Trailing early didn’t faze Palo Alto, as it rallied right back to tie the score in the bottom of the frame, turning its running game up to 11 — actually, make that 13, as in the number of stolen bases Palo Alto swiped.

“[The running game] is something we can control,” Lo said. “It’s about effort. … I think those guys (Pacifica) were a little tired.”

After Pacifica starting pitcher Gatley opened the bottom of the first with a strikeout, Paxton Liu singled and stole second. Colton Sims followed and reached on a single, making a hard turn around first.

Liu, who had initially stopped at third, bolted home when Pacifica threw the ball away during a rundown with Sims.

Like Signorello-Katz, Gatley got out of the inning without any further damage.

It was a short reprieve, however, as Palo Alto took control of the game with six runs in the bottom of the second. Palo Alto had five hits during the rally, sent 12 batters to the plate and stole three bases. Signorello-Katz had the big hit in the inning, drilling a two-run single to left. Rayden Garcia, Enzo Matsuzawa and Emmett Gruin all added RBI singles during the uprising for Palo Alto, as well, as it took a 7-1 lead.

Palo Alto tacked on another run in the bottom of the third for an 8-1 lead. With one out, Erik Lo hit a shot off the pitcher’s glove for an infield hit. Lo then stole second and third, and with Rafa Ballagas on first via a walk, Lo ended up stealing home on the back end of a delayed double steal as Palo Alto had four stolen bases in the inning.

But Pacifica reliever Sean Hagemann, who came into the game in the second inning as the third pitcher of that frame, stabilized Pacifica and kept his team in it. Hagemann would end up working 4 1/3 innings of relief, allowing two runs on four hits.

Palo Alto rounded out its scoring for the night when Angel Ochoa, who had drawn a two-out walk, stole second, went to third on a Jade Choi single to center and scored on a wild pitch in the fifth.

Pacifica, to its credit, kept battling. It scored its second run in the top of the fifth, starting a string of scoring in its final three at-bats. In the fifth, Michael Demchak singled to center and then raced to third when the ball got past the Palo Alto centerfielder for a two-base error. Michael Demchak scored on Sean Basanez’s single just over the second baseman.

In the sixth, Jaxson Meneses drilled a two-out triple down the right-field line as the Palo Alto right fielder missed on a diving catch attempt. Meneses scored on Hermosillo’s infield hit into the hole at shortstop.

Pacifica rounded out the scoring for the game in the top of the seventh when Gatley led off with walk, went to second on a wild pitch, took third on a passed ball and scored Sam Demchak’s single up the middle to cut the deficit to 9-4, but would get no closer.

“I was proud of the way we took care of business early,” Felix Lo said. “It was a great game. I respect that Pacifica team. They’re a scrappy team.”