It was a made-for-TV moment as John Warren crossed home plate and the dugout cleared Wednesday afternoon.
Warren, the starting pitcher for the Cate baseball team, stepped on the dish as the Rams’ third run in the bottom of the seventh inning, capping a thrilling 6-5 come-from-behind victory over visiting No. 2 Milken in the CIF Division VII quarterfinals.
“We have what it takes to win everything, and we all expect each other to fight until the end,” said Warren, who played in his fair share of big games as a youngster with the Saudi Arabian Little League World Series squad.
Fighting until the end is exactly what it took for the Rams, who gave up two runs in the top of the seventh to give the Wildcats a 5-3 lead.
Michael Moya opened the bottom of the inning with a single up the middle, and Michael McMahon followed with a pop-up that was poorly played and became a single as well. Next up was Warren, who had thrown six blue-collar innings on the mound, striking out six and giving up three runs.
He fouled off a handful of pitches before ripping a single down the left field line. Moya came around to score and McMahon chugged in on a close and full-contact play to third that left even coach Ben Soto on the ground as he dove to get out of the way.
An intentional walk to Jackson Mauze juiced up the bases for George Lou, who had committed a costly error that started the Wildcats rally in the top of the inning. On a 1-2 count, the sophomore sent a grounder to the third baseman, who threw home only to hit the sliding McMahon on the shoulder, sending the ball off towards the Cate dugout. That was all Warren needed to turn around third and run the 90-foot stretch that would send his team into the semifinals.
While the Rams romped around in celebration, some of Milken’s players lay face-down on the field.
“I’ve been coaching for 27 years now, and this game ranks right up there with the best,” said Soto. “They didn’t quit, and I’m more proud of that than the win itself.”
Senior Matt Moya didn’t quit when he found out that he wouldn’t be a starter in his final season — he simply “worked his butt off” according to Soto. Well, he started in right field Wednesday and made an unforgettable play that may have just saved the Rams from falling in a hole that was too deep to climb out of.
Lou’s error to open the seventh left the Milken batter on second base with the score tied at 3-3. The next Wildcat batter knocked a single to right field, but Moya picked it up and threw a missile to catcher Nathan Vice to prevent the go-ahead run from scoring. The crowd erupted, and Moya was so happy he ran over to McMahon in centerfield and gave him a bear hug.
“It was epic. It was probably the most important throw of my life,” said Moya.
Vice was a reliable backstop all day, throwing out a stolen base attempt and blocking some pitches in the dirt that could have been disastrous. Milken (18-3), meanwhile, was hampered by five errors to Cate’s one.
Next up for Cate (18-1) will be a road game at either North County Christian (17-3) in Atascadero or St. Michael’s Prep (20-2) in Silverado. North County Christian has won 10 straight and outscored its first two playoff opponents 54-7, while St. Michael’s is on a 13-game win streak with an average run total in the high-teens.
But Soto asked his team an interesting question after Wednesday’s win:
“Why not us?”
