Serra wins splendid duel in 1-0 win over Burlingame

“I was like replaying it in my head,” Kretsch said. “I was like: ‘C’mon, we’ve been here before. You’ve just got to trust yourself’ ... and I just had to trust my defense, trust my brothers.”

The power of positive thinking proved key, as Kretsch bettered his outing from two years ago. The senior right-hander locked up with Burlingame senior Luca Scatena to deliver the Padres (5-1) to a 1-0 victory. Both pitchers went the distance in a game that lasted under two hours before a packed house at Washington Park.

It was Kretsch who shined, though, taking a no-hitter into the fourth inning. He ultimately needed just 98 pitches to fire a two-hit shutout, while totaling a career-high 12 strikeouts. It was his first CG since April 8, 2022.

“Tonight was one of those games where that was his game,” Padres manager Mat Keplinger said. “Pitch count not in jeopardy. He didn’t have many high-stress innings. And in this environment, big moment for him, big moment for our team, that was his game.”

Despite the big strikeout total, it was the Serra defense that stole the show when right fielder Lucas Schumaker ended the game by laying out for a headlong dive at the end of a dead sprint to catch a foul popup in midair. It was one of just four putouts recorded by the Serra outfield, and the first for Schumaker.

“As an outfielder, you’ve got to stay ready, and it came down to the last pitch and I was just ready to go,” Schumacher said. “And I went and made a play.”

It was a dazzling play, and a change of pace for Kretsch, who previously answered every Burlingame baserunner with a strikeout. After setting down the first five batters of the game, he responded to a two-out walk in the second with a strikeout looking by freezing the batter with a filthy 1-2 curveball. In the third, after hitting Eric Gee with a pitch with two outs, he bounced back for a swinging strikeout with a crisp fastball.

In the fourth, Burlingame (5-1) broke up the no-hitter with back-to-back two-out hits from Cole Quilici and Neil Girdhar. Again, Kretsch got Serra back into the dugout with a swinging strikeout.

Then in the fifth, after walking Jackson Howard to lead off the inning, Kretsch responded with three straight strikeouts, mowing through the heart of the Burlingame batting order on 13 pitches.

“He’s competitive,” Keplinger said. “I think the competitive spirit comes out in him. He does a wonderful job controlling the running game, and that’s a big reason why he’s able to close his innings out. ... He bares down. When his back is against the wall, he’s at his best.”

Scatena was equally as competitive, but had to pitch out of several jams due to some dodgy defense. Serra leadoff hitter Michael Perazzo reached base on an infield error to start the game, and Jake Downing followed with a single to right. Scatena kept the Padres off the board though, despite a wild pitch to move both runners into scoring position, with an infield fly and back-to-back strikeouts to end the frame.

In the third inning, Scatena pitched through a leadoff walk. In the fourth he recuperated from a one-out walk when catcher Will Robbins gunned down a would-be base stealer for a strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out double play to end the inning. And in the sixth, after Ian Josephson reached on an infield error to lead off the inning, Scatena induced a grounder near the second-base bag for Gee at shortstop to turn a 6-3 twin killing.

Scatena took the CG loss, working seven innings, while allowing one run on two hits and four hits with six strikeouts. It was his first time pitching against Serra, but is quite familiar with Kretsch, as the two first met during middle school by playing for the same travel team at Startling Line Up in San Mateo.

“It felt great,” Scatena said. “I’ve known him for so long, it’s so great to battle him.”

But, even though Scatena survived a second inning that could have been worse, Serra’s lone run in the frame turned out to be the difference in the game.

The Padres loaded the bases with one out. Davis Minton led off the frame with a walk and Justin Sechler followed with a single through the left side. Then with one out, No. 9 hitter Sammy Rivas bounced back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk and load the bases.

Then things got a little weird. After Robbins, the Burlingame catcher, visited the mound, the Panthers attempted a pickoff play at third base. The throw sailed past the third baseman and Minton jogged home for what appeared to be the game’s first run. However, the play was overruled and the runners sent back after the umpire declared he had not called time-in following the mound visit.

“I kind of sailed [the throw],” Scatena said. “But if that play is in, and he catches that ball, we’ve got just a man on second, two outs.”

Serra quickly delivered the run, though, with Perazzo lifting a sacrifice fly to left field. It was all the run support Kretsch would need.

“It felt great,” Kretsch said. “I had all my pitches working for me. My first longer outing of the year, and I was just trusting Coach Kep’s pitch calling, trusting my defense, letting them go to work.”

Schumacher’s game-ending diving catch wasn’t the only defensive gem in the seventh inning. The last out recorded by the Burlingame defense was equally as breathtaking as Howard in center field turned in a catch that can only be described as baring quite a similarity to Willie Mays’ famous basket catch in the 1954 World Series.

With two outs, Rivas put a charge into a towering fly ball to deep right-center field. Howard got a great first step but had to keep sprinting back as the ball continued to carry. Howard gained speed as he closed the distance, but still had stretch to make a remarkable basket catch while in a full sprint.

“It was hit pretty hard right off the bat,” Howard said. “So, I just kept on going. I thought for a second I was under it and I second-guessed myself and just kept on running.”

Serra did travel to Washington Park to play Burlingame last year, but not in the regular season. The traditional non-league game in the early weeks of the season was rained out. But the teams collided in the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs, with Serra winning 10-4. Kretsch wasn’t available for that game, as he missed most of 2023 with an elbow injury.

“It’s great to be back,” Kretsch said. “I’m a hundred percent all the way back.”