Serra rallies for walk-off vs. Mitty

Trailing two runs going into its final at-bat, Serra (9-3 WCAL, 17-5 overall) rallied for three runs to win it in dramatic fashion, with senior Zach Button drilling a walk-off two-run double to set off a Padre celebration in the middle of the diamond.

“It was unbelievable,” Button said. “The team went crazy. Once the guys went across with the winning runs, the helmets were in the air, guys were out at second base. It was pretty crazy.”

With the win, Serra is momentarily alone in first place in the WCAL. Mitty (8-4, 18-5) falls to second place, one game behind the Padres. Valley Christian (8-3, 20-3-1) did not play Friday and falls a half game back of Serra, though the Warriors can again draw even Saturday with their matchup against Sacred Heart Cathedral.

“We feel like we’ve been playing pretty well for the last couple weeks,” Serra manager Chris Houle said. “So I think for these guys it’s an affirmation of what we’ve been doing is working. We’re playing well, and if we keep playing this way we’ll be in every game ... and we’ve put ourselves in a position to be right there at the end. And that’s what these guys want.”

It was slow goings for the Serra offense through the first six innings though. The Padres banged out 11 hits in the game but also left nine runners on base.

“We just couldn’t come up with the big hits with runners in scoring position through the first six innings,” Houle said.

The only thing Serra had to show for the hit total prior to the seventh came in the third inning. With Mitty leading 2-0, Serra senior J.J. Ota produced an RBI double to plate Ryan Sutter. Mitty got the run back in the fifth, though, to end the day for Serra starting pitcher Drew Dowd.

The left-handed Dowd worked four-plus innings and was on the hook for the loss. But right-handed senior Juliano Rodriguez emerged to fire three scoreless innings to earn the win.

“[Rodriguez] threw well,” said Button, Serra’s catcher. “His slider was on. His fastball he was locating well. Our defense was just making plays. It was good to see that and it was really uplifting, to help shut them down and help keep us in it.”

In the seventh, the Padres got the spark they needed from leadoff batter Chris Fung. The senior drew a walk and ultimately came around to score on an RBI double by Sutter. Then, with pinch runners Jeremy Villar and Marek Palladino on base, Noah Marcelo drew a two-out walk to load the bases and bring Button to the plate.

It has been an up-and-down year for Button, whose defensive versatility has given Serra a crucial option behind the dish for the past four games since WCAL superstar Cameron Barstad suffered a fracture in his left hand.

At the plate, though, Button has scuffled. After batting in the No. 5 spot in the order at the beginning of the season, the senior entered play Friday hitting .145 while dropping to the No. 8 spot in the order.

“He’s struggled a little bit at times so we’ve kind of moved him around different spots trying to get him going,” Houle said. “And now that he’s catching it’s been a pretty big change for him. But the last couple games, he’s come through with some pretty big hits.”

Button was down to his last strike but was steadfastly sitting curveball. He got one and hammered it off the wall in left-center, scoring Villar and Palladino with the tying and winning runs.

“That was pretty crazy game, that’s for sure,” Houle said.

WCAL play winds down next week with Serra having two league games remaining on its schedule. The Padres host St. Francis this Tuesday, with the Lancers riding a three-game winning streak. In fact, Serra has St. Francis to thank for the Padres catching Valley Christian atop the Bay Division standings. The Lancers downed Valley 2-1 with a walk-off win Tuesday.

When asked if 2018 was starting to feel like a season of destiny, Button didn’t downplay Serra’s potential to do something special, but was keen to pivot to a word with a little more immediacy — “fun.”

“We’re hoping so,” Button said of the destiny question. “We’ve all got to keep doing our part. The team has really gelled. The team is coming together. So, it’s easy to play. It makes it fun.”