Mike Klan
MONTECITO, Calif. – Ryan Humphreys picked up his 12th win of the season against just one loss as Westmont Baseball (42-12) defeated the Gators of San Francisco State (33-23) to become the first Westmont team in any sport to win an NCAA DII regional game. In so doing, Humphreys tied the record with three others for most wins in a season: Rich Sorenson (1962), Russell Harmening (2014) and Daniel Butler (2016).
Humphreys earned the win by pitching seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out 11 and did not surrender a walk.
“Playing playoff baseball is really special, especially with this group,” said Humphreys. “We’ve been through three different head coaches in the past four years. We have gone through a lot in terms of transition – going from the NAIA to NCAA. Our athletic department did a great job getting us postseason eligibility a season early. So we feel like we are paying it back to the school. It is our responsibility to go out there and win and put Westmont on the map.”
“It is easier when you are playing for each other,” said Trey Dunn. “That is something the 2023 team did. We were lucky to have a really good group of seniors on that team and now it is our turn to model this team after those guys. This whole thing is easier when you are not doing it for yourself, but doing it for the guys around you. There is not a whole lot of pressure when it takes everybody.”
The Warriors jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Grant Yzermans hit a lead-off single through the left side, then one out later stole second. The throw to second was wild and sailed into center field, allowing Yzermans to reach third on the error. Bryce McFeely brought Yzermans home with a groundout to short.
The score remained unchanged until the top of the third when the Gators scored twice to take the lead. The first three batters reached on a single to center by Matt Sugden, a hit-by-pitch by Nicholas Cook and a bunt single by Camden Andrews. The first run scored on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Murillo that scored Sugden and moved Cook to third. Cook scored on a double to right center by Nicholas Allred.
“Coach Svagdis and I have talked a lot about first-pitch strikes so I can go deep in the game,” noted Humphreys. “It’s not ideal to go out there in the third and give up the lead early. But, after that, it is my job to keep it close for the rest of the game and go as deep as I can so we save our bullpen and save our guys for later in the regional. I’m not trying to do too much out there. I’m just trying to go out there and fill it up and keep it simple.”
Humphreys did just that, keeping the Gators from scoring again.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Warrior batters found the offense they needed. Zach Mora singled to center field on a 2-1 pitch. One out later, Soper’s groundout to first moved Mora to second. That brought up McFeely whose double to right center drove in Mora and tied the game at two runs apiece.
(Bryce McFeely had 2 RBI. Entenza Design).
“Getting an opportunity to work with these hitters in the fall and then in the spring, I told them, ‘You have the complete capacity to be dynamic offensively, because you have the ability to hit with two strikes,’” said Svagdis. These guys did that today in big situations and Bryce is one of our best. He does a great job of letting the ball travel and staying inside. I was pretty confident he was going to battle that guy in that situation, and he came up big.”
After Patterson reached on catcher’s interference call, Dunn stepped to the plate and singled to left field on a 2-2 count, plating McFeely for what would turn out to be the winning run.
“I was definitely staying on the fastball there and not trying to do too much with it,” said Dunn. “I saw the first one, but he put it in a good spot so I took it. At least I knew what it looked like. I was staying on that, then fortunately, with two strikes, he left something up. I didn’t try to do too much, and I think it was why I was able to capitalize on a pitch like that. You have to give some to take some.”
With a one-run lead going into the top of the eighth, Svagdis called in closer Zach Yates.
“Ryan wanted the ball in the eighth, but I had to hold him back. I’m pretty much one of those guys that likes to give your workhorse and your ironman the ball and let him go out and compete on his terms when he has worked that hard. That decision is hard for me – except that it is Yates. Coach Hubbard and I looked at each other and knew it was not a hard decision right now. Even though Hump did an incredible job competing in the zone, we just needed to send Yates out.”
Asked about his first experience pitching at Russ Carr Field in the postseason, Humphrey’s replied, “It definitely hit me when I knew I wasn’t going back out for the eighth. When I am out there, I try to stay emotionless so I can stay locked in.
“That was super special to experience. The past three years that we were postseason eligible, we hosted a regional. So, it is our standard and expectation that this is what we do – we play postseason baseball and we are supposed to go out and put a show on for everyone else out there. It was super sweet.”
Yates ran into trouble in both the eighth and ninth, but pitched out of it to secure his record-breaking 13th save of the season.
In the top of the eighth, with a man on second and one away, Allred hit a blistering shot toward the hole between shortstop and third. However, Daniel Patterson dove to his left and knocked it down to prevent the runner on second from advancing. Cunningham came up and was retired on an infield-fly-rule pop-up before Allred was forced out at second on a ground ball by Johnson that ended the threat.
In the top of the ninth, the Warriors had runners at second and third with just one out. Yates struck out AJ Schrader to make it two outs. Then, Derek Laferriere grounded to third to end the game.
“Daniel Patterson made two great plays at the end of the game,” pointed out Svagdis of his third baseman. “In the eighth, he kept that ball in the rim on a ground ball that would have allowed the runner to score or at least get to third. That last play in the ninth, wasn’t routine. He had to sit back on it or it was going to be a banger. The game was on the line. He is a senior captain, an All-American. To step up like that was incredible.”
The loss by San Francisco State was their second in the double-elimination tournament and brought an end to their season. However, their loss had even more significance. Last March, San Francisco State announced that the baseball program, along with men’s soccer and women’s indoor track and field, would not continue after the end of this season. The emotions ran deep in the visitor’s dugout and in the right-hand seating section where parents and family waited to encourage the Gators as their program came to a close.
As for the Warriors, they will play again tomorrow (Friday), taking on the Otters of Cal State Monterey Bay who advanced by defeating San Francisco State 7-3 in the first game of the day. The tournament has now become a best-of-three series. The two teams will play a single game on Friday and then meet again on Saturday to determine who is moving on to next week’s Super Regional in either one or, if necessary, two games.
“We are going to go out there and bring our best minds to the field,” said Dunn. “It doesn’t matter how many teams are here – we are just going to go out and play great baseball. We have a great squad and even greater mentality.”
(Article courtesy of Westmont Athletics).
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