San Mateo baseball senior Tyce Copus redeemed in walk-off victory over Terra Nova

Copus is known as a good bunter. In fact, Bearcats manager Neil Goldstein said the senior is the best bunter on the team. However, with one out and the potential winning run on third base amid a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the seventh, Copus whiffed on a bunt attempt on a suicide squeeze to leave senior baserunner Alan Su hung out to dry.

“I felt so bad,” Copus said. “I knew I just had to get on base, keep the game moving, and just trust my teammates to help me out.”

Copus did just that, coaxing a two-out walk to set the table for senior Christian Louie. And this time, when San Mateo turned to the running game, it paid off. With a 1-2 count, the Bearcats put on a hit-and-run, with Louie lofting a high popup to shallow right. The head start saw Louie tear around second as Terra Nova’s right fielder made a diving attempt but had the ball glance off his glove.

“I was stealing on the play, so I didn’t really see much,” Copus said. “I was just thinking: ‘Oh, that’s an easy out.’ But as soon as I got to third, I just saw my coach wave me around. I just had to get there.”

Louie scored the redemption walk-off run standing up, then got mobbed by his teammates in front of the San Mateo dugout.

“I’m proud of Tyce because he missed the squeeze,” Goldstein said. “And then he ends up scoring. It’s got to make him feel a lot better.”

Louie not only recorded the game-winning hit, he earned the win on the mound after locking up with Terra Nova right-hander Jesse Martinez as both starting pitchers recorded complete games. Louie, a senior left-hander, allowed two runs on four hits and three walks with six strikeouts, but knew his day was done after walking off the mound to end the top of the seventh having thrown 93 pitches.

“He’s a great pitcher,” Martinez said. “He’s very efficient. At that point, I just felt like we needed to have some better at-bats. Maybe stretch ’em out a little bit; get the pitch count up a little more.”

Both teams had their chances, though.

The Tigers (0-1, 4-3) were trailing 2-1 in the fourth inning when senior Evan Wilson stepped to the plate to deliver the equalizer. Wilson was playing in his first game of the season, but in just his second at-bat connected for a booming solo home run to left field to deadlock the game at 2-all.

San Mateo looked to get the run back in the sixth, but some outstanding glove work courtesy of another Terra Nova debut preserved the tie. With runners on second and third and one out, sophomore Michael Lackey hit a one-hop smash to the left side of the infield. With regular Terra Nova shortstop Brody Finale out of the lineup, junior Spencer Speidel was making his first start at short, and picked the smash with a clean backhand before throwing home for the Tigers to run down San Mateo baserunner Jesus Olivas.

“It looked like he read it well,” Terra Nova third baseman Aiden James said. “He didn’t stutter at all, which is good because first game starting at shortstop can be a big deal, and he just picked it right and threw it on the money.”

Terra Nova countered by taking a shot at pushing across the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. Martinez led off frame with a walk, and later stole second with one out. A two-out wild pitch moved Martinez to third. Then, with Finale pinch-hitting and drawing a walk, Terra Nova inserted a pinch runner and, before San Mateo even had a chance to throw another pitch, immediately put the back runner in motion with Louie in the stretch.

Louie stepped off and initially threw to second base, as Martinez bolted for the plate. But the second baseman Lackey’s throw to senior catcher Sean Passalacqua was right on the money to peg Martinez for the final out of the inning.

Martinez, though, dusted himself up and marched back up the mound for the bottom of the seventh inning. The junior allowed three runs on 10 hits through 6 2/3 innings of work.

“We kind of knew going in,” Goldstein said. “[Terra Nova manager Jared Milch] and I both were like: ‘This isn’t going to be a 10-9 game.’ We kind of knew we both had our aces, and it’s going to be a tight game as long as they do what they normally do.”

Senior Isaac Roman paced Terra Nova with two hits and an RBI. Su went 2 for 3 with an RBI for San Mateo, and Olivas added a single with an RBI.

The win for Louie was his first of the year. The southpaw improves to 1-3, though the Bearcats have won in each of his last two starts.

“He was around the plate all day,” Goldstein said. “Which, if we throw strikes, play catch, put the ball in play, we’re a good team.”