Offense erupts for Central Catholic in semifinals Game 1 win over Oakdale

There’s no better time than the playoffs to have one of your best games of the season. Just ask the Central Catholic baseball team.

The Raiders’ offense collected hit after hit in Monday’s Game 1 of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals series against Valley Oak League opponent and rival Oakdale.

It was their second best offensive outing this season. According to MaxPreps, the 13 hits slotted just after a league matchup against Kimball. It is just the third time this season the Raiders have recorded 10 or more hits with two home runs in a single game and it’s the first time this season the team has recorded five or more RBI and two home runs.

Most importantly, it translated into a road win.

The Raiders scored three runs in the third inning and four in the fourth to win Game 1 of the semifinals, 8-1. They take a 1-0 series lead into Wednesday’s 4 p.m. Game 2 at home.

“We had a couple big hits with two outs to just carry the innings over,” Central Catholic coach Danny Ayala said. “We had some really good at-bats, fighting off some good pitches. (Oakdale is) a ballclub that’s gonna keep coming at you. Weren’t going to take pitches off today and the boys came out and played a very good baseball game.”

Though the semifinals in the Sac-Joaquin Section is a best-of-three series and not a single elimination game, getting the first win is important. You could tell. Raiders ace TP Wentworth took the mound and went the full seven innings.

Wentworth pitched the full seven innings, striking out eight batters and allowing just three hits and one earned run. The Clemson commit earned his ninth win this season. At the plate, he recorded a pair of hits and hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, his sixth this season.

The 6-foot-5 senior is the definition of an athlete. The VOL MVP in football and basketball is likely also the frontrunner to take the league’s top honor in baseball. His future is likely on the diamond as he is a major league draft prospect and boasts eye-popping stats that rank among the best in the section.

His six home runs ranks sixth, his 0.50 ERA is ninth. He had fanned 96 batters, good for sixth in the section and his nine wins is fourth.

“Really happy with the way we hit the ball,” Wentworth said. “That’s a good pitcher up there and we just had a good approach and hit the ball hard up the middle. … I’m really excited and it’s nice rolling when we should be. It took a while, but we’re here, so it’s good.”

Sophomore Kayden McHenry hit the Raiders’ second home run in an exciting fourth inning. His two-run shot over the left-field fence gave the Raiders an 8-0 lead and essentially put the game away.

It was more than just McHenry and Wentworth, however. Senior catcher Fernando Alaniz recorded a game-high three hits and drove in a pair of runs. Senior Trace Hernandez and sophomore Broden Thomas drove in a run each. Fresno State-bound Adrian Garcia recorded the game’s only double.

Nine players registered at least one hit and three recorded multi-hit games.

“It was barrels down the line, one through nine,” Wentworth said. “Anybody up there, you know, something good is gonna happen. It’s a really good feeling.”

The Raiders have nine seniors and made a playoff run last year that ended in section and NorCal titles, but they started the season slower than they anticipated. Their experience didn’t allow them to panic and have now won eight of their last 10 games. They are riding a six-game win streak.

“Experience is something you can’t replace when you start to understand playoffs,” Ayala said. “The last few weeks, we had an opportunity to focus and know that this was a long run.

“At any level of baseball, you want to be peaking at the right time. We’ve been doing a good job. We kept our bodies healthy, we kept our guys going. … That’s a big part of it and our boys are responding.”

Oakdale looks to bounce back

Despite the loss, Oakdale coach Joey Machado says he was happy with how the team competed.

Sophomores Griffin Costa and Eric Velazquez and senior Maddox Dias were responsible for the Mustangs’ three hits. Reid Grandstaff drove in Oakdale’s only run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth inning.

“Super proud with the way they competed, when you get to the semis it’s all about competing,” Machado said. “You tip your hat, of course, TP’s a great athlete. But I really liked our kids in the box today, to be honest. We know who he is on the bump, but I felt like we competed, we made adjustments. It didn’t personally feel like an eight-to-one ballgame.”

For the Mustangs to keep the chances of making their first section title game since 2017 alive, they must win Wednesday in Modesto. They travel to Central Catholic for a 4 p.m. first pitch in Game 2. If they win, they return home for Game 3 Thursday afternoon.

“At the end of day, it’s the one that makes the least amount of mistakes,” Machado said of what it will take for the Mustangs to extend the series. “And so if we’re able to do that, then sign me up on that one for us any day.”