Prep baseball: San Marin secures playoff spot by sweeping Tam

The San Marin High baseball team entered the final week of the MCAL regular season on thin ice.

By the time the Mustangs ended the week, they were not only on solid ground, they were darn near soaring above it.

San Marin (15-9, 10-6 MCAL), which entered the week in danger of missing next week’s MCAL playoffs, scored three runs in the ninth inning Thursday for an exciting 7-4 victory against Tam on a cool, breezy afternoon in Mill Valley.

For the Mustangs, it was their second victory in three days against the Red-Tailed Hawks and not only clinched a postseason spot, but vaulted them ahead of Tam into the No. 3 spot in the final standings.

San Marin visits No. 2 Redwood on Tuesday in an opening round playoff game, while Tam (12-12, 10-6) plays the same day at MCAL champ Marin Catholic.

“That was awesome – probably the most fun game I’ve ever played in,” San Marin catcher Cole Chamberlain said, moments after Jake Simpson’s two-run double drove in the winning runs. “The past couple of years, Tam has kind of had our number. So to come in this week and win out, including a long game like this, is huge. It was a total team effort. I’m really proud of the guys today.”

There were many stars, both offensively and defensively, for the Mustangs. But the spotlight was nabbed by pitcher David Skaggs, who in seven innings of relief, scattered five hits and allowed one run.

With the Mustangs ahead by three in the bottom of the ninth, Skaggs closed out the victory in style, needing only 12 pitches to retire the Red-tailed Hawks in order.

“He had great command of his curveball,” Chamberlain said. “It was so good, we were using it a lot on the first pitch, confident he could get it over the plate. That was his best performance by far all season. I’m really excited for him.”

Skaggs took over for starter John Holtz in the third inning with the Mustangs trailing 3-1. The Hawks cashed in on a bout of wildness from Holtz in the second – two walks and a hit batter – setting the table for a Jake Hanna two-run single.

Tam starter Kaiden Dossa was sharp through the first four innings, striking out the side in both the third and fourth.

“Dossa’s curve was nasty,” San Marin coach Jamie Vattuone said.

Nasty or not, Chamberlain leaned on Dossa’s bender with one out in the fourth when he blasted a moonshot over the right-field fence for a solo home run.

“My first at-bat, he struck me out with that curve,” Chamberlain said. “But my next at-bat (the home run) I know he likes to use the breaking ball in a hitter’s count. After he started with one out of the zone, I was sitting on the curve.”

Chamberlain’s long fly seemed to energize the Mustangs who evened the score at 3-3 in the next inning on back-to-back hard-hit doubles off the bats of Erik Bach and Simpson.

Tam regained the lead in the fifth. With one out, Dossa singled and promptly stole second. With two out, Charlie Blau knocked in the run with a crisp single to right.

The Hawks nearly turned the fifth into a big inning when clean-up batter Tyler Buxton barreled up the next pitch and drove a shot to dead center. But Josh Martin, who got a great jump on the ball, made a nice over-the-shoulder catch near the fence.

San Marin came right back to knot the score in the sixth. With two outs,  Holtz roped a double into the right-center power alley and Sean McGrath poked a run-scoring single up the middle.

Tam threatened to break the game open in the bottom half of the inning, loading the bases with no out. But Skaggs induced a harmless short fly to center for the first out and then Bach provided some wizardry at the third base bag.

Bach fielded a grounder a few feet down the line, raced back to the bag for the force out and fired across the diamond for an inning-ending double play.

“We were a little confused when he went back to the bag for the force. We thought he was going to go home with it,” Vattuone said. “But Erik has a great arm and he showed it off on that throw to first.”

Holtz and Simpson both doubled twice to lead San Marin’s nine-hit attack and Simpson drove in three runs.

Hanna had two of Tam’s eight hits and drove in two runs.