Serra claims its first CCS baseball championship in 16 years

“He’s made it interesting in a lot of those outings,” Padres manager Mat Keplinger said. “That’s when he thrives. He’s done it all year.”

Hui’s arm sealed the deal when he struck out West Catholic Athletic League Most Valuable Player Quinten Marsh on the eighth pitch of the game’s final at-bat with a curveball looking. But it was Hui’s defensive brilliance against the previous batter that stifled Valley Christian’s best chance to tie it.

The Warriors (25-7-1) looked to tie the game with runners at the corners and one out on a squeeze attempt by Christian Navarez. The junior No. 2 hitter deadened the ball nicely up the first-base line but, with Serra’s first baseman playing back, Hui crashed to make a rangy scoop and backhanded underhand toss on the money to catcher Jack Armstrong, who slapped down the tag just ahead of Ethan Flynn’s headfirst slide.

“He charged the ball hard, he fielded it cleanly, a perfect feed to the plate — no chance for that runner to score,” Armstrong said.

The Padres were adamant in postgame interview about how they worked on the specific play all week in practice to defend against Valley Christian’s small-ball attacks. The Warriors had already succeeded with the squeeze play once, getting on the board in the first inning on a bunt by cleanup hitter Jordan Ortiz to bring home Brock Ketelsen.

With the game on the line, and plenty of practice repetition in their back pocket, the Padres defended the play largely due to Hui’s commitment to getting the runner at home.

“Never a doubt,” Hui said. “Game on the line, I had trust in what we work on, I trust my fundamentals, and I knew we were going to get the win right there.”

Hui’s defensive gem was one in a sum-of-its-parts effort by Serra to contain Marsh and Ketelsen, Valley Christian’s two Stanford commits.

Ketelsen took the ball as Valley Christian’s starting pitcher, bringing WCAL Pitcher of the Year honors and an undefeated 5-0 record into the game. After the Warriors staked the left-handed senior to the lead in the first, they added to it in the third when No. 9 hitter Kelan Cunningham led off the inning with a single to left, and later scored on Marsh’s RBI knock to right to make it 2-0.

Serra starting pitcher Riley Lim limited the damage, though, and locked up with Ketelsen for a fine pitcher’s duel. Lim escaped the third-inning jam with two on and one out by inducing a tailor-made 6-4-3 double play. The junior right-hander went on to allow two runs on six hits with five strikeouts to earn the win, improving his unbeaten record to 7-0 with a 2.42 ERA.

“He’s been our guy all year,” Keplinger said. “He pitches in our biggest games, he’s started our biggest games of the year. So, that was his, absolutely.”

Serra gave Lim all the runs he would need in the fourth. Like they have all year, the Padres strung hits together and fed off offensive momentum to send nine batters to the plate in the inning. But it was the early damage of the inning’s first three hitters that turned the tide.

Armstrong led off with a ground ball with eyes to left for a single, and Tyler Harrison followed with a walk. Then sophomore Aaron Minton stepped to the plate. A throwing error by the catcher on a back-pick attempt at first base moved the runners to second and third as Minton leveraged the count to 3-1, and the sophomore wheeled and fired on a high fastball to pound a two-run double into the left-field corner.

“I was seeing the fastball really well,” Minton said. “So, I was just getting ready to jump on that ... middle inside, and I capitalized on it.”

With the score deadlocked 2-all, Hui drew a one-out walk, and Ian Josephson drew a two-out walk to knock Ketelsen out of the game. Senior reliever Rohan Kasanagottu emerged, and looked to get out of the inning by inducing a ground ball off the bat of Evan Bradshaw. But an infield error, when the third baseman fielded a two-hopper cleanly, but double clutched on the exchange, allowed Bradshaw to beat the throw and score Minton with the go-ahead run.

Hui entered in relief in the sixth, and got some quick help from his defense. Marsh greeted the junior right-hander with a single. Two batters later, Logan Mull hit a sinking liner to left, but Aaron Maier raced in to make an outstanding diving catch. The defensive gem loomed large as Nathan Choi followed with a two-out single, but Hui escaped the jam on a routine fly ball to Harrison in center.

But in the seventh inning, the drama only heightened after Hui’s defensive brilliance kept the tying run from scoring on Valley Christian’s bunt. Marsh stepped to the plate with a .523 batting average and tops among WCAL hitters with 29 RBIs.

“That has ... been a trend for this team all year,” Keplinger said. “We somehow, someway get the best hitter to the plate with the game on the line.”

Hui had faced Marsh just once previously in his career — when the WCAL MVP singled against him in the sixth — and the two locked up for a prolonged battle.

“Such a good approach at the plate,” Armstrong said, “and he touches everything. He’s such a tough hitter to get out. But with Hui, we were trying to live off and mix spin with changeup, slider, curveball — all of them working. But he touches everything, so it’s hard to get him to swing and miss.”

Hui jumped ahead with two quick strikes out of the gate, but added fuel to the fire six pitches deep by committing a balk, moving the runners to second and third.

On the penultimate pitch of the night, Marsh fouled back a fastball that prompted a mound visit from Armstrong. The senior catcher had called for a slider, but Hui crossed him up. The battery remedied the situation by Hui telling his catcher he was intent on going to his a curveball.

“I know he’s a good hitter ... but I’m just going to trust in what Coach Kep’s calling,” Hui said. “And when it comes down to the line, I’m going to throw what I want to throw, and that’s kind of what happened at the end there.”

Hui’s curve proved to be the dagger, as the borderline pitch was called strike three — game over.

“Close pitch, but too close to take, and that was it,” Armstrong said.

With the CCS championship — and one of the most epic dog-piles in Serra history in the middle of the diamond — the Padres break a 16-year title drought, having last won the Division I crown in 2009.

“Championships are supposed to be hard to win,” Keplinger said. “We had to go take down Ketelsen tonight, and the best hitter in the league was up at the plate. We earned it.”

Serra previously won CCS titles in 1984, ’91, ’93, ’94 and ’98.

“I’m so happy for these guys,” Keplinger said. “Nobody expected it from this team after graduating 18 seniors last year, but it was something that fueled us this season. We knew we were a talented club. And, really, for them to come together, especially these seniors, the two-year run that they had, just the work ethic, changed the culture of the program. Their legacy is going to last for a long time.”

The Padres now advance to the CIF Northern California Division I playoffs. Serra is seeded No. 3 and will host Tuesday’s opener in the eight-team tourney against No. 6 College Park-Pleasant Hill. First pitch at Frisella Stadium is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Valley Christian is on the other side of the Division I bracket as the No. 5 seed, and will travel Tuesday to No. 4 St. Mary’s-Stockton. CCS Division IV champion Menlo School also earned a Nor Cal bid, qualifying for the CIF Division IV tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Knights will travel to No. 4 Las Lomas-Walnut Creek Tuesday at 4 p.m.