LATHROP >> Two timely errors ultimately proved to be the difference this week in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III Baseball Championship game.

The Pioneer High School varsity baseball team lost 3-2 to Central Catholic of Modesto on Thursday night at Islanders Field in Lathrop. The No. 3 seed Raiders (21-8-1) prevailed in extra innings on a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth frame to defeat the No. 4 Patriots (23-5).

“It was a playoff atmosphere, you’ve got your best guy on the mound and he pitched his (butt) off,” said Pioneer coach Craig Marquez. “That’s a tough one. I thought we played better than them. We didn’t get the timely hit and make a couple plays here and there. Other than that, I can’t be more proud of my guys and how they came back, fought back and tied that up in the seventh.

“Kudos to them, they’ve got a great ball club over there and can swing it, hats off to them.”

Patriots senior pitcher Carson Timothy swung at the first pitch and hit a leadoff single to left field in the top of the first inning. Sophomore Luke Ferreira walked in the next at bat to put two runners on base without any outs to start the game. Timothy was thrown out attempting to steal third base and the other two outs occurred on swinging strikeouts, stranding Ferreira.

Central Catholic started quickly as well. Senior center fielder Braxton Thomas blasted a leadoff solo home run that went over 380-feet to right-center field. The Raiders left a runner stranded on third but ended the first frame with a 1-0 lead.

A pitcher’s duel then ensued between Timothy and Central Catholic junior lefty T.P. Wentworth. The Raiders led 1-0 after three innings of play.

Central Catholic added a run in the fourth frame following an error by Pioneer. Junior catcher Fernando Alaniz safely reached second after a miscue in the outfield between left and center on what should’ve been a flyball out. In the next at bat, junior utility Xavier Diep reached on an infield single and advanced Alaniz to third.

Alaniz scored the game’s second run after an at-bat from sophomore Vaughn Anderson, who safely reached first base following a misplay at second by the Patriots.

Down to its final three outs, trailing by two runs, Pioneer’s bats came alive. Entering the final inning, Timothy had the Pats’ only two hits. As they have all season, the resurgent Patriots refused to concede and rallied in the top of the seventh frame.

“We’ve talked a lot over the season, just the grit and competitiveness that they have. It’s fun to watch these boys play and I’m proud to call them my players,” an emotional Marquez said minutes after the loss.

Senior catcher Ryan Pearson led off the inning with a single to left field, just past the Raiders’ diving shortstop. Junior first baseman Matias Michel followed in his footsteps, hitting a single to the exact same spot.

Sophomore pitcher Drew Van Court then singled to right field to load the bases without any outs. With his high school career at stake, senior Hayden Newsom entered the game as a pinch hitter.

Newsom made the most of his opportunity by blasting an infield single off the first baseman’s glove to score senior Hector Casas, who pinch ran for Pearson. Senior pitcher Nico Rodriguez entered the game as a pinch runner for Michel and he advanced to third on Newsom’s infield single.

Without any outs and the bases loaded, sophomore second baseman Jack Cullison smashed a deep sacrifice fly that landed just in front of the 325-foot fence in right field. Rodriguez tagged up and successfully scored to tie the game, causing the hundreds of Pioneer fans in attendance to erupt in excitement. The top of the seventh concluded on a groundout double-play but the Patriots did just enough to extend the contest.

Timothy went back out on the mound for the bottom of the seventh frame. Central Catholic left two runners stranded and the game went to extra innings tied 2-2. Timothy was pulled after pitching seven innings and Marquez described his performance as “absolutely phenomenal.”

“Every time he gets out on the mound, it’s almost expected that he does that,” Marquez explained. “Each time is different and each time he gets better and better. He’s a treat to have on your team. I just wish it turned out a little different for us.”

The UC Santa Barbara signee allowed five hits and two runs (one earned) with several strikeouts. Van Court, who is committed to Oregon State, pitched in relief. Both teams stranded two runners in the top of the eighth, bottom of the eighth and top of the ninth, respectively.

A timely error in the bottom of the ninth frame was ultimately Pioneer’s downfall Thursday night. Thomas led off the ninth with an infield pop fly but successfully reached second after an error at shortstop by the Patriots.

Following an intentional walk, Wentworth grounded into a fielder’s choice that advanced Thomas to third. Junior righty Adrian Garcia took the mound in the top of the eighth in relief of Wentworth.

With runners on the corners and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Garcia drilled a walk-off single down the left field line to win the D3 championship by a score of 3-2 for the Raiders. Central Catholic quickly rushed the field and dog-piled to celebrate its victory.

After having two hits through six innings, Pioneer recorded four over the final three frames. Timothy led the way offensively with two singles. Pearson, Michel, Van Court and senior Ronaldo Ramos had one hit each.

The Patriots advanced to the D3 section title game with wins in single-elimination play against No. 13 Patterson on May 9 and versus No. 5 Lincoln on May 11. Pioneer took two-of-three games from No. 1 seed Ponderosa to reach the championship contest.

“It’s prototypical of this team. We hadn’t won in the first round in a while, then we come out and win that first one,” Marquez recalled. “We compete against Lincoln and beat them in a close one. Then we go into Ponderosa being the number one seed and these guys proved that they are one of the best teams in this area too.

“You know it’s going to be a close game in the playoffs. They’ve got a guy (on the mound), we’ve got a guy and then we see what happens in the end. (Central Catholic) were the fortunate ones this time.”

The season may not be over completely for the Patriots as the CIF Regional Baseball Championships begin Tuesday. The fate for Pioneer and Woodland High will be revealed on Sunday afternoon. The brackets will be released on the CIF’s website and can be found at the following link: cifstate.org/sports/baseball/bb_champ_info.

The Patriots hope to play at least one more game to continue the careers of eight seniors who will be graduating this year. Timothy, Pearson, Newsom, Casas, Rodriguez, Ramos, Hayden Morel and Max McClarin are in the Class of 2023.

The love that Marquez has for his seniors was extremely evident Thursday, minutes after the crushing loss.

“I’m proud of them,” Marquez said while fighting back tears, after being asked what the Class of 2023 meant to him.