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The ambitious non-league schedule Menlo-Atherton’s baseball team played is paying off now.
The Bears knocked off previously undefeated Sequoia, 13-6, Tuesday to take over first place in the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division standings.
Both teams went into the game with 6-0 records in league play. M-A (13-5, 7-0) had five losses in non-league play at the hands of three West Catholic Athletic League teams — Serra, Sacred Heart Cathedral and St. Ignatius — and two top public school programs in 11-2 Live Oak and 11-3 Palo Alto.
The Bears also had a couple of wins against traditional WCAL powers Bellarmine and St. Francis, so you could say the team’s confidence was high heading into PAL play.
“They wanted it,’’ M-A coach David Trujillo said, gesturing toward his players in the dugout. “I’ve got a great squad. They wanted to play the best.’’
In its six previous PAL Ocean games M-A had allowed a grand total of one run, while scoring 42. But in this showdown with Sequoia, which went into the game 12-0 overall, Sequoia leadoff man Kai Holm hit the first pitch M-A starter Nate Baxter threw for a home run to right-center.
“I’ll take that all day,’’ Trujillo said. “I’d rather give up that long bomb than walks.’’
Holm’s homer tied it 1-1 as M-A had scored in the top of the first on an RBI double by Rowen Barnes. The Cherokees (sorry, I can’t get used to Ravens) took a 2-1 lead in the second, scoring a run without a hit on a walk, errant pickoff throw and two wild pitches.
So the Bears were trailing, something they hadn’t experienced in a while. Their response was immediate and forceful, putting up five runs in the top of the third. Reno DiBono hit a two-run double and Colin Galles a two-run single to chase the Sequoia starter.
Sequoia scored three in the bottom of the third, but M-A countered with two in the top of the fourth to make it 8-5. John Quinlan led off with a double, scored on Tommy Eisenstat’s double, and Griffin Williams followed with a run-scoring single.
Lefty Sean Quinton came in to pitch and tossed two scoreless innings.
“He’s been my shutdown bullpen guy all year,’’ Trujillo said.
Williams belted a three-run home run to deep center in the top of the sixth to break the game open.
“That’s his second in as many games,’’ Trujillo said. “He has tons of power to the big part of the field.’’
Williams finished 3 for 3 with five RBIs and also pitched a scoreless sixth.
Max Coupe’s two-run double in the seventh capped the scoring for M-A. And with an eight-run deficit Ben Singler’s homer for Sequoia in the bottom of the seventh didn’t do much to alter the outcome.
Quinlan, M-A’s leadoff hitter, reached base in his first four plate appearances and scored all four times.
“He’s got a great approach at the plate,’’ Trujillo said. “Very disciplined, he only swings at strikes. He kick starts our offense.’’
M-A, which has been stuck in the mid-level Ocean Division in baseball for a number of years, appears to be well on its way to moving up to the top-tier Bay Division.
“That’s our 100 percent goal,’’ Trujillo said. “And, of course, to go to CCS.’’
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