The Justin-Siena baseball team ran its playoff magic all the way to the Northern California Division III Final Four before falling 1-0 to defending champion Central Catholic in Modesto in a semifinal on Wednesday.
The 11:30 a.m. game started only 17 hours after the sixth-seeded Braves’ 10-2 quarterfinal upset of No. 3 King’s Academy in Sunnyvale.
The Braves' march through the North Coast Section Div. 4 and NorCal Div. III playoffs was historic. They posted a 62-5 run differential while upsetting two higher higher seeds en route to their first section championship since 2015.
Opening their first Div. III NorCal playoffs, the Braves (18-10) visited Central Section Division 2 champion King’s Academy on Tuesday and proved to be ready for another tall task.
Luke Giusto knocked in leadoff man Tommy Malloy in the top of the first inning against a Knights pitcher who had yet to give up an earned run all season. Justin-Siena tacked on another run in the fourth, when Malloy drove in Jason Gray with a two-out RBI.
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Earning the start for the Braves was Everet Johnson, who spun an effortless four innings of one-hit, one-run ball before giving way to relief ace Griffin Messenger with the Braves ahead just 2-1. The Knights loading the bases with one out, but Messenger’s defense turned in the play of the year to limit the damage. A King’s batter hit a three-hopper to second baseman Ben Sebastiani, who forced out a runner at second with a throw to shortstop Braeden Butler. Butler then fired a backdoor throw to Johnson to catch a runner looking to score from second, only to find catcher Jake Fletcher with the ball to end the inning with only a lone run scoring.
Seizing the momentum, the Braves hung up six runs in a sixth-inning rally led by huge hits from Noah Giovannelli, Sam Denkin, Luke Giusto, Jason Gray and Henry Meyers. Drew Sangiacomo would work a scoreless seventh to seal the win.
Malloy had two hits, two RBI and a stolen base, Giovannelli a double and RBI, Johnson a hit and run scored, Giusto a double, two singles, three RBI and a run scored, Fletcher a double, two singles, an RBI and a run scored, Sam Denkin a triple and RBI, Jason Gray a double, single, two RBI and two runs scored, Henry Meyers a hit and run scored, and Charlie Im and Clint Wilsey stolen bases.
Johnson allowed on earned run on one hit, three strikeouts and three walks. Messenger one run on two hits and two walks in two innings, and Drew Sangiacomo one strikeout in one inning.
The Braves had to turn around quickly, literally, and head to Modesto Wednesday to take on the Raiders. The game lived up to its billing as a premier pitching matchup between Justin-Siena’s Spencer Nelson and Clemson commit TP Wentworth. Nelson was magnificent through 3 1/3 innings before giving way to Sangiacomo and Braeden Butler, as the three combined on a four-hitter. But Wentworth finished with a no-hitter despite allowing runners to get in scoring position in four innings.
The game marked an incredible playoff run for a pitching staff that allowed only 15 hits over six playoff games, the last four on the road. The team also tallied 67 hits and played stellar defense throughout.
"This was, quite obviously, an incredible run,” Justin-Siena head coach Jeremy Tayson said. “We can say without doubt that we were playing some of the best baseball in the entire state while putting up some historical totals.
“The on-field success comes on the backs of an incredibly inspired group that just simply clicked. Every guy came to practice and games with their best personalities and it was as much fun as you can have in this game. Credit to our program for staying the course and enjoying this run for what it is. It will be remembered for a long time.”