PenCities captures Peninsula Colt League title

But defense giveth, and defense taketh away, as Burlingame committed three errors in the bottom of the fifth and PenCities seized the opportunity to rally to a 7-5 victory at San Bruno Park’s Lara Field to claim the Peninsula Colt League title.

“They just never gave up,” Colt .45s manager Matt Labbie said. “Right from the beginning … this team didn’t give up.”

PenCities right-hander Nathan Tam turned the tide for his squad, entering in relief with two outs in the first. Primarily a starting pitcher this summer, Tam continued to dominate out of the bullpen — after two scoreless innings in Monday’s semifinal win over Redwood City — setting down the eight Burlingame batters he faced.

“He’s been awesome,” Labbie said. “He’s one of our guys and one of only two returning players. He was a good pitcher for his last year but he’s stepped it up. Any time I’ve called on him he’s come through and just got it done.”

Burlingame knocked out Colt .45s starting pitcher Jack Fitzgerald in the first inning. Three batters into the game, the Sox had the bases loaded for cleanup hitter Max Alvira, who lined a two-run single to left. Tim Christian followed with a booming RBI double to left.

It may have turned into a landslide inning but, when Gino Lopiccolo followed with a single, Christian got thrown out at the plate. It was the first of two critical outs the Sox made on the bases in the game. Burlingame manager Eric Null, who was coaching third base, blamed himself for both.

“I think it could have been a bigger inning.” Null said.

Burlingame did manufacture another run after a wild pitch moving Lopiccolo to third, and a walk by Matthew Kitts to knock Fitzgerald out of the game. On Tam’s first pitch of the night, Burlingame pulled off a double steal with Lopiccolo swiping the plate on the throw to second.

Tam, though, went on to record a three-pitch strikeout to end the inning.

“I knew we could get out of it because I trusted my teammates,” Tam said. “And we got through it.”

Burlingame starting pitcher Noah Larkin breezed through three scoreless innings, but didn’t make it out of the fourth. The big left-hander hit Colby Stevens with a pitch to open the fourth. Then with two outs, Tam smashed a double to put runners at second and third, and Luke Barrientos shot a two-run single to center to cut the lead in half.

After an infield error and a walk to load the bases, Larkin departed, giving way to Alvira in relief. And, with Alvira previously playing third base, the Sox turned to Kyle Sieben at the hot corner. And Sieben made an immediate impact.

With the bases loaded, Dane Anderson ripped a liner past the bag at third, but Sieben made a terrific catch with a step and a dive, and a backhanded nab to end the inning, with the Sox still leading 4-2.

“[Anderson] smoked that ball,” Labbie said. “Obviously we had the momentum going for us … and he made a great play and took us out of it. I was a little worried the momentum might have switched back because he made such a great play.”

In the following inning, Tam pitched out of trouble to keep the Colt .45s within striking distance. Sieben led off with a single, and Kueno Kim followed by legging out a picturesque bunt down third. Jake Cilia followed with a sacrifice bunt to move up Sieben and Kim. But a low liner caught in center was not enough to score the runner from third, and Tam induced an inning-ending grounder.

In the bottom of the inning, PenCities sent 11 batters to the plate. And it was the Burlingame defense that opened the door, with an infield error to start the frame, followed by a single by Stevens that was misplayed by the outfield to score Mitch Babeta all the way from first base.

Daren Randolph followed with a single to move Stevens to third, and Stevens later scored on a groundout by Tyler Lagarrague to tie it 4-4.

Then Tam proved PenCities’ magic man when, with Randolph at third, he hit a cue shot to the right side of the infield. Randolph committed to trying to score, and was expecting a play at the plate, but the ball was bobbled, then bobbled again, and Randolph scored the go-ahead run without a throw.

“I went right away,” Randolph said. “Yeah, I was surprised (when there was no throw to the plate).”

PenCities added insurance runs on an RBI single by Nikhil Godbole and a bases-loaded walk to Nabeta.

Burlingame had an opportunity to respond in the top of the sixth, loading the bases with no outs, knocking out Tam in the process. But facing Stevens in relief, the Sox were only able to push just one run across from there when Sieben produced a sacrifice fly to make it 7-5.

Then in the seventh, the Sox got a spark when Alvira roped a one-out double to left-center. But then came the second critical out on the bases when Alvira got thrown out trying to stretch the play into a triple.

“I saw a bobble in the outfield and I waved him around and they made a good relay and a good throw,” Null said. “That’s not [Alvira’s] fault, that’s the coach’s fault.”

Stevens went on to close the door, finishing off the championship victory with high heat and a swinging strikeout.

“I saw [Stevens] giving it his best, trusting us, and able to finish it off,” Tam said.

Next up for the Colt League postseason is the six-team sectional tournament, featuring six teams from the Peninsula Colt League — PenCities, the Burlingame Sox, the Burlingame Mules, San Bruno, South City and Daly City — beginning July 6 at Washington Park in Burlingame. The top two finishers from that tourney advance to regional play in San Jose beginning July 17.