Used to going tor a marathon, the Menlo School baseball team fell in the 11th inning to Monte Vista Christian in the CCS Div. III semifinals Thursday at Washington Park.
The Knights close the season as Peninsula Athletic League-Bay Division champions and with an 18-9 record. Monte Vista Christian (16-13) advances to the final against The King’s Academy, a 2-0 winner over Pacific Grove.

Justin Nam, who left the game in the fourth after getting hit in the head with a pitch, started the game, picking up six strikeouts to open the game for the Knights. 

Monte Vista Christian pulled ahead in the 10th, but Menlo had an answer. Junior outfielder Ian Collins led off the bottom half with a home run to deep right to tie the score again.

Collins went 3 for 4 and drove in two runs. Senior Charlie Giesler and junior Kevin King each had two hits. Giesler, who drove in the winning run in the 14th inning against Burlingame two weeks ago, would deliver again. 

In the seventh with two out, sophomore JC Ng singled to drive in Giesler to tie the game at 4. Giesler and junior first baseman Kevin King had back-to-back singles then senior Luca Espinosa walked to load the bases.  

The Knights would load the bases in the eighth after Collins led off with a base hit and junior Max Chou walked. Both advanced off wild pitches after two pitching changes. A controversial call would ensue in the eighth when, with a suicide squeeze attempt, Giesler would reach on a fielder’s choice and Collins slid across the plate as the throw was coming down from pitcher Quinn Alexander. The umpire ruled a force out, and the game went to the ninth. 

MVC had two batters reach base in the ninth, but Ng made the catch and fired from center field to catcher Julien Hernandez who tagged at home.

In the 11th, Matt Woods’ single drove in the go-ahead run and the Mustangs added an insurance run.

CCS Div. III semifinal
Monte Vista Chr. 000 120 100 12 – 7 13 1
Menlo School 000 030 100 10 – 5 11 2

MVC: Aliva, Zischke (5), Finnegan (7), Alexander (8) and Felice. MS: Nam, Norman (5), Lord (8) and Hernandez. HR – MS: Collins. 2B – MVC: Keenan. 3 hits, MS: Collins. 2 hits – MVC: Keenan, Alexander, Woods, Finnegan, Renggli. MS: Giesler, King. 2 RBI: MV: Alexander, M: Collins.
Records: Menlo School 18-9; Monta Vista Christian 16-13.