NEWHALL – In Jim Ozella’s 25 years of coaching the Hart High baseball team, even he had never seen a game like Thursday’s CIF-SS Division 2 playoff opener against visiting Simi Valley.
The Indians needed 14 innings and heroics from multiple players to outlast the Pioneers and come away with a 5-4, walk-off win.
“It’s a classic right there,” said Ozella, who is retiring at the end of the season. “We started at 3:15. So it’s a four-and-a-half-hour game. And it was intense for the whole game for both sides. And we were down a number of times and we came back. And those guys made some great plays to keep them in the game.”
Hart won when Michigan-bound senior shortstop Brayden Jeffries blistered a deep fly to center field for a sacrifice fly that scored sophomore Hayden Rhodes in the bottom of the 14th.
Rhodes racked up four hits during extra innings before scoring the winning run.
The Indians players swarmed Jeffries after Rhodes scored the winning run.
“Seeing all my teammates come running, it’s awesome,” said Jeffries. “You know, I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group. And seeing the joy on their faces and just like how much fun that was, it’s awesome. Nothing compares to this.”
Hart advances to the second round Tuesday and will play at Newport Harbor.
Hart needed the timely hitting of junior Brady Werther to reach extra innings.
In the bottom of the seventh, he hit his first varsity homer, a two-run line drive over the fence in right.
Two innings later, he kept Hart alive again, this time ripping a game-tying RBI double in the ninth.
“It felt amazing,” said Werther. “Our pitchers kept us in this one the whole time. I just wanted to come through for the seniors. I didn’t want their season to end. I just felt really confident at the plate all day.”
Hart’s pitching put together one of its best performances of the season. Starter Carson Maymo tossed the first 4 2/3 innings, holding Simi Valley to weak contact as the teams were…
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