With today's loss to Tokay, West missed a chance to clinch a playoff spot.
The West High baseball team will go into its final week of the season in second place with a 7-1 league record and will have to beat its toughest competition in the Tri-City Athletic League to have a shot at the playoffs.
 West High’s Riley Goulding takes a throw as Tokay’s Stephen Malcolm arrives safely at second base during today’s game. Photo by Glenn Moore/Tracy Press
If West and Tokay are tied for second at the end of next week, the playoff berth will go to Tokay, which scored more runs in the two teams’ head-to-head league games this week. West beat Tokay 9-6 on Wednesday, but Tokay’s wider margin today gives the Tigers the edge.
West hoped to keep the momentum going from Wednesday to ensure sole possession of second place.
“That didn’t happen, so now we’ll have to go after St. Mary’s,” West coach Jim Rice said. “St. Mary’s has a tough squad, so I think it’s anyone’s game.”
Tokay plays its last two games against Stagg High, which is at the bottom of the TCAL standings. But Tigers coach Aaron Misasi said his team can’t take anything for granted at this stage.
“We’ve got to take care of business,” Misasi said. “They (West) are a good team and have a shot at St. Mary’s.”
Had Misasi’s team lost today, two more wins next week wouldn’t have helped the Tigers.
“It was good to get off the bad luck train and play some good baseball,” he said. “It’s a matter of mental focus and rising up for big games.”
 West High’s Matt Fontaine winds up for a pitch against Tokay. Fontaine struggled early as the Wolf Pack fell behind this afternoon. Photo by Glenn Moore/Tracy Press
West’s batters had a tough time hitting anything off Tokay starting pitcher Bobby Raymos. The only hit West got off Raymos was Goulding’s double in the first inning.
Tokay started off with two runs in the first inning on three hits against West starting pitcher Matt Fontaine and got three more hits in the third for two more runs. Tokay started the fifth with two base hits. West infielders managed a double play on the third batter, but Tokay’s Stephen Malcolm came around from second on that play to score another.
Tokay rallied for four runs in the sixth inning against Goulding, who was pitching in relief, for a 9-0 lead.
West’s Rico Martinez led off the bottom of the sixth with a line drive to right field. Josh Thomassen and Goulding reached with walks to load the bases. Martinez scored on a passed ball, Anthony Salsedo drove in Thomassen on a base hit to right field, and Goulding also scored on a passed ball.
Tracy 11, Lodi 2
Tracy swept league rival Lodi this week with a second victory today, but Bulldogs coach Vic Alkire said playoff spots are still to be decided in the final matchups next week.
“There are still a lot of possibilities out there,” Alkire said.
The 11-2 win in Lodi today puts Tracy at 7-1 in the San Joaquin Athletic Association. Next week’s games are against the Lincoln Trojans, who are also in contention for a playoff spot, and against the Bear Creek Bruins.
In today’s win, Bulldogs first baseman Vince Canale ripped three doubles and drove in four runs.
Shortstop Stevie Ramos got two base hits, including a triple, for a season total of 43 hits. That’s a new record for the Tracy team. The previous record was set in 1995 by Dexter Hermosura, who got 42 hits in that season.
Starting pitcher Daniel Heefner went all seven innings, allowing only two hits and effectively shutting down Lodi’s batters after they scored two in the first inning.
Tracy also scored two in the first inning and rallied in the second when Canale drove in three on a bases-loaded double. Left fielder Ryan Scornaienchi hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, right ahead of Canale’s third double on the day.
Sophomore Ricky Diaz went 1- for-3 with a triple in the fourth inning.
(S) Tokay 8, West 5
Today’s game went scoreless for the first three innings. In the fourth, the Tigers went through their batting order and collected three runs, scored two more in the fifth and kept the lead with a three-run home run in the sixth.
West’s batters scored in the sixth and rallied for four runs in the seventh but couldn’t make up the deficit. Hits for West included a triple from Jacob Lopez and a double from Marcus Pedroza.
West is 6-2 in the TCAL.
(S) Tracy 16, Lodi 3
Lodi got on the scoreboard in the first inning, but Tracy rallied in the second to put seven runs on the board and scored big again in the fourth.
Starting pitcher Robbie Jackman allowed two hits in three innings, and freshman pitcher Tyler Trew gave up two hits in two innings. Among the 14 hits for Tracy were a triple from Jonathan Combs and doubles from Trew, who also drove in four runs, and Robert Emerson, who drove in two.
Tracy is 7-1 in the SJAA.
(F) Tokay 13, West 5
West’s pitchers gave up most of Tokay’s runs in the first
and second innings Thursday at Tokay, including a series of walks and a
three-run homer in the first.
Tensions ran high on and off the field after an umpire
ejected a West player who questioned a bad call.
The Wolf Pack, 5-14 overall, rebounded in the second inning
and scored again in the fifth and sixth, but it was not enough to catch up.
West pitcher Garrett Worthington closed the third inning and pitched the rest
of the game, holding Tokay’s batters to one run.
West got a double from Sal Alvarado plus base hits from
Kevin Deol, Joey Wagner, Jason Thomassen, Eric Gleese and Garrett Worthington.
(F) Tracy 13, Lodi 0
Tracy’s
freshmen kept the pressure on all afternoon Thursday against the Lodi Flames at
Tracy High. The Bullpups are 8-0 in the SJAA and 18-1-1 overall. They started
the game with Andy Levand’s two-run homer in the first inning. Nick Camper also
drove in three runs during the game and Dominic D’Souza and Tyler San Filippo
also batted in runs.
The Flames only got one runner past second base, but he was
picked off when right fielder James Fisher caught a fly ball and fired the ball
back to Levand, who was at third base to make the tag.
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