Menlo News June 06, 2025

Baseball to NorCal finals after two-day game

Knights leading after 7.5 innings Thursday, close out 15-11 win over Woodland Christian in 7 minutes Friday

After 20 hours and a couple hundred miles, the Menlo School baseball team defeated Woodland Christian 15-11 on Friday to advance to the CIF-NorCal Championship for the second year in a row.
No. 5 Menlo School plays in the NorCals Div. IV Championship at No.3 Santa Clara, 3:00 pm Saturday. The Knights, who closed the 2024 season in the NorCal Div. V final, said they’re looking to complete that last step.

In a dramatic end to a long night, Friday’s game was called with the Woodland Christian batter down 0-2 in the count in the bottom of the first. After some back and forth, the umpire called the game due to darkness, and Menlo elected to head home. The Knights returned the next day and in seven minutes, closed out the eighth for a 15-11 semifinal win.

“We did a good job coming in today and accepting that there’s nothing we can do about it,” Freehill said about the team’s mindset on Thursday night. ”We just need to control the controllable, which was going out and finishing the game to send us to the championship, which we did. We are pumped going into our next game with a chance to do what we were so close to doing last year.”

By 9:00 pm Thursday, the Knights loaded the bus and headed home from the city 15 miles north of Sacramento. At 8:00 am, Friday, they were on the bus, heading back.

“I’m beyond proud of our team,” Knights Coach David Trujillo said. “We showed so much toughness and resilience to come out with the win. We dealt with and overcame some really difficult circumstances and has only made us stronger. We are tested and ready for tomorrow.”

Menlo rallied for four runs in the top of the eighth to take the lead. Junior Renner Barnett’s sac fly drove home the go-ahead run. After Jack Freehill was intentionally walked for the third time of the game, junior Chuck Wynn delivered a single to drive in freshman Fletcher Cahill, who was hit by a pitch, and senior frst baseman Nikhil Pathak, who singled, scored on an error. Freehill would then score from third on an errant pickoff throw.

The next day, Freehill was on the mound. getting out of a bases-loaded jam with two strikeouts, giving up no hits, walking two. He learned the night before on the long bus ride home he would be pitching.

Freehill inherited an 0-2 count from the previous night’s reliever Ben Salama, and the Knights got first out when the Cardinals’ No. 3 batter swung and missed on a slider that junior catcher Chuck Wynn blocked and picked up the first out on a dropped third strike.
Salama, playing in left, fielded the pop fly for the second out.
“After that things got a little sketchy,” Freehill said. “The coaches … helped me keep my confidence and keep my cool. I got into a little bit of a jam but ended up getting out of it by striking out their hitter.”
Freshman Reid Plamondon picked up the win, allowing nine hits, walking four and striking out six in five innings on Thursday. Freehill went 2 for 2 with two RBI and drew four walks. Wynn had two hits and three RBI while Pathak went 3 for 4 with an RBI. Pathak and Freehill each stole three bases , Salama and Wynn added two more.

”I couldn’t be more proud of the team’s performance, heading into the final,” Wynn said. “We have overcome a lot and improved in every aspect of the game. Everyone has pitched in, and we couldn’t have accomplished this without everyone giving their all.”
Freehill opened the game with a double then scored on freshman Liam Widner’s sac fly. Woodland Christian came back to tie 4-4 before the Knights load the bases in the second. Renner Barnett & Jack Freehill draw walks to score Zach Roeder & Ben Salama. Fletcher Cahill scores on a fielder’s choice and Barnett on an error. Freshman RHP Reid Plamondon issued a 1-2-3 inning and Menlo was up 5-4.
Through six innings, the Knights collected 10 runs on five hits before the eighth-inning fireworks.