The crowd hung on every pitch, the players displayed raw emotion after big plays and both managers were quick off the bench to discuss pivotal calls with umpires.
You could’ve mistaken it for a playoff game in May. Buchanan and San Joaquin Memorial may be on a collision course for that.
But it was only the second game of the season — and a hotly-contested one at that.
The game remained close until Buchanan first baseman Max Bernal lined a three-run double into right-center field to break a 2-2 tie. The Bears’ bullpen held off a late Memorial rally attempt to defeat the Panthers, 5-3, on Saturday.
“That was a good high school baseball game,” said Buchanan head coach Brad Fontes. “[San Joaquin Memorial] is a good program. They’re coached well and they play hard. It’s always nice to face good competition early. It just makes the ballclub stronger as we move forward.”
Buchanan entered Saturday ranked No. 1 in the Central Section by Clovis Sports Report and No. 7 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports.
San Joaquin Memorial was named No. 2 by CSR and No. 15 in California according to Cal-Hi Sports.
The top-15 state matchup lived up to the hype, with the outcome in the balance until the final pitch.
Buchanan starter Christian Williams threw the first pitch for a strike — then the next 10 for strikes to retire the first six Memorial batters he faced.
“Christian did a phenomenal job of getting ahead of hitters and getting swings,” Fontes said. “He was efficient and we couldn’t ask for a more fantastic start.”
Buchanan provided run support for Williams in the bottom of the second inning.
Bernal and Drew Smith led off with singles, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Memorial ace Josh Castro got Jett Ruby to hit a ground ball to second baseman Eddie Saldivar.
But Saldivar threw the ball away. Ruby picked up an RBI and ran to second with still no outs.
With runners on second and third for Temo Becerra, the senior Bear lined a sharp grounder to Saldivar, who couldn’t glove it. It went down as an RBI infield single for Becerra, and the Bears took a 2-0 lead.
Josh Williams grounded into a double play, but Ruby did not score from third base due to runner’s interference. Castro retired Sky Collins to keep the Bears’ lead at two
In the top of the third, Memorial cut its deficit in half with an RBI groundout from Jack Sampson. One inning later, Tanner Sagouspe knotted the game at 2 with a one-out home run to left field.
Sagouspe flipped his bat emphatically after his solo shot off Williams. The Bears didn’t forget that when they came to bat in the bottom of the fifth.
Josh Williams worked a leadoff walk and JP Acosta singled. Castro intentionally walked Austin Young to load the bases with one out.
Castro induced a popup from Evan Wallace for the second out, but Bernal cleared the bases with a double to the right-center field wall. He held onto the bat halfway up the first-base line before unleashing a bat flip of his own.
“Max looks to drive the ball and get a pitch out over the plate that he can get into,” Fontes said. “He’s pretty hard-headed. He sticks with his plan and he was fortunate enough to get a pitch that he could drive and get the barrel on it.”
Two days after combining with Sam Tookoian and Wallace for a one-hitter against Tulare Western, Bernal’s clutch hitting gave the Bears a 5-2 lead. Bernal finished the night hitting 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
“I just tried to not do too much, play my game and drive one right back at them,” Bernal said. “I happened to hit it to the wall and it worked out perfectly.”
Austin Watson, who pitched a scoreless fifth inning, kept Memorial off the scoreboard in the sixth as well. He started the top of the seventh, but surrendered a leadoff double to Anthony Giannetta and hit Charlie Monterrosa with a pitch. He also threw a wild pitch to move both runners to second and third base.
Watson struck out Seth Gonzalez swinging for the first out, before Fontes called Becerra to the mound to record the final two outs.
“Temo is made for moments like that,” Fontes said. “Nothing really rattles him. I knew if I brought him in, he’d throw strikes and give us a chance to win.”
He struck out Sampson looking for the second out in the seventh. But Mikey Bell roped a single into left field to drive in a run.
Runners stood on the corners and Eddie Saldivar, the Long Beach State signee, stepped to the plate for San Joaquin Memorial.
He represented the winning run in the batter’s box. He swung at the first pitch he saw.
But he popped it up in foul territory. Third baseman Drew White secured it for the final out.
“Starting our season coming out like this, it feels good to come up with a big win like that,” Bernal said. “We are definitely going to carry that momentum with us for the rest of the games and see where we go.”
Perhaps the Bears will go all the way to the Section title game and meet Memorial again. Certain moments on Saturday night carried that intense playoff atmosphere.
But Buchanan won’t worry themselves now about rematches down the road.
“We’re going one pitch at a time and one game at a time,” Fontes said, “and just trying to play the game the right way. The most important game is Monday night. That’s game No. 3.”
Buchanan (2-0) has game No. 3 at Edison High School, playing the Tigers at 6:30 p.m. Monday.