Mary Star rallies from four-run deficit to capture Division 7 championship

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

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Mary Star players and coach Biagio Schutt celebrate with the CIF-SS Division 7 championship plaque after the Stars defeated Notre Dame of Riverside 8-7 in eight innings on Saturday at Blair Field in Long Beach. It is Mary Star’s first section championship. Photo by Howard Freshman

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By David Rice

correspondent

LONG BEACH — Mary Star went into Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 7 final looking for the first championship in school history.

The Stars accomplished the feat, thanks to a seventh-inning rally and a walk-off hit in the eighth inning.

The Stars trailed by four runs entering the bottom of the seventh against Notre Dame of Riverside at Blair Field. They tied the score in the seventh, and Riley Vuoso provided the game-winning hit in the eighth. Vuoso’s single drove in pinch-runner Matthew Fuentes for the victory, 8-7.

Vuoso pitched the final two innings to get the win in relief. He also went 4 for 4 with a walk and scored three runs.

“This feels like a dream,” Mary Star coach Biagio Schutt said. “Winning our first CIF title for Mary Star on Our Blessed Mother’s Feast Day is truly an honor for us.

“These boys and this team of coaches deserve this. These Stars shine brighter and brighter every day. They never seem to stop impressing us as coaches. We were blessed to coach them.”

Mary Star fell behind 4-0 in the third inning as Notre Dame took the lead with two-run singles by Jacob Oliver and Julian Rodriguez.

The Stars got a run back in the fourth. Vuoso led off with a single and scored on a double by Matthew Reynolds.

The Stars closed the gap to 4-3 in the sixth. With the bases loaded, Julian Cervantes had a two-run single that drove in Vuoso and Richard Bautista.

The Stars’ comeback hopes took a big hit in the top of the seventh as Notre Dame pushed across three runs for a 7-3 lead.

“I told the boys to look at the stadium and feel the love and support of our amazing fans,” Schutt said. “Everyone came here to watch you win and succeed. So let’s dig deep and put everything we got into this game and make history.”

The Stars loaded the bases in the of the seventh. They scored four runs to tie the score, 7-7, without getting a hit. With the bases loaded, they scored runs on a balk, two walks and a hit by pitch.

Vuoso pitched a scoreless eighth for Mary Star.

“When I went out there in the eighth,” he said, “I was just trying to spot my pitches and let the other team get themselves out and that’s exactly what happened.”

In the bottom of the eighth, Rogelio Ramirez led off with a single and moved to second on Ben Dileva’s single. That set the stage for Vuoso’s walk-off hit.

“When I came to the plate I was just trying to simplify my swing and focus on hitting a line drive,” Vuoso said. “When I got the hit and saw Matt (Fuentes) rounding third to score, I was so happy and relieved because I knew the game was over. I’m proud of what this team has accomplished and we will continue to accomplish during the state playoffs.”