After suffering their first loss in West Catholic Athletic League play earlier in the week, the Serra Padres weren’t waiting around in their rematch against Valley Christian.

The Padres (5-1 WCAL, 14-3 overall) came out swinging, withstanding the Candlestick Park-like winds to score two runs in the first and six more in the second to cruise to a 9-0 win over Valley Christian in a battle for outright control of first place in the WCAL at Frisella Field. Serra banged out nine hits, with leadoff man Joey Damelio going 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI, and No. 2 hitter Ian Josephson adding two hits with a double, a home run, two RBIs.

The early run support was more than enough for starting pitcher Braden Agosta, who fronted a one-hit shutout. The senior right-hander worked 5 1/3 innings, setting down 11 straight batters at one point, before handing the ball over to junior reliever Davis Minton. The only hit Valley Christian (4-2, 16-3) recorded in the game was Rocco Muccilli infield single off the foot of Agosto in the second.
 
“That was awesome,” Serra shortstop Michael Perazzo said. “That’s the best I’ve seen him pitch in a while. He’s had a crazy jump from last year. He was probably our best bullpen piece last year, and he comes out this year, earns a starting spot, and is just dominant on the mound. He has not had a bad start this year. It seems like each start out there he’s getting better, and he was great for us today.”

Perazzo played an exceptional shortstop, totaling seven infield assists in the game. The senior didn’t play much short last season with Ben Cleary, now a freshman at Santa Clara University, manning the position in 2023. Perazzo has started every game there this season, though, and his seamless approach in making difficult plays make easy is testament as to why.
“He’s been as sure-handed and reliable at that position as it gets,” Padres manager Mat Keplinger said. “You feel very comfortable when you see a ball hit his was in the middle of the game.”

Serra’s slick fielding shortstop set the tone early. The second batter of the game, Valley sophomore Nathan Choi, drew a one-out walk. But Agosta got out of the inning on the next pitch, inducing a tailor-made grounder to the left side of the infield for Perazzo to turn a 6-4-3 double play.

“I love it,” Perazzo said. “Every time he’s pitching, it’s always peppered right to me. He loves it too, trusts me to make the plays. And, yeah, I love having him on the bump for us.”

Then the Padres came out swinging on offense. After Tuesday’s 4-1 loss at Valley Christian — in which Warriors starting pitcher Quinten Marsh fired a complete-game four-hitter, allowing just one unearned run — Serra jumped on Friday starter Rohan Kasanagotu.
“We had a lot of regret after that game,” Damelio said. “We definitely wanted to make a statement this game.”
Damelio led off with a hard bounder over the third baseman’s head for a single, and Josephson followed with booming double off the left-field netting to put runners at second and third. Josiah Rodriguez got the Padres on the board with an RBI grounder, while reaching on an infield error. Jake Downing then supplied a sacrifice fly to put the Padres up 2-0.
“We worked in the cage all week just preparing to be ready for that fastball, and don’t let it beat us,” Damelio said. “And that’s what we did today.”
Valley Christian had its best chance to push a run across snatched away by more stellar defense by the Padres in the second.
 
Rodriguez at third base set the tone with a brilliant defensive gem, diving to his right for backhanded pick, then popping up with a reverse 360 to make the long, strong throw across the diamond for the second out of the inning.


Brock Ketelsen then worked a 10-pitch at-bat for a walk and stole second, setting the stage for a wild improvisational play to get an out at the plate. Muccilli sent a hard grounder back through the middle that clipped Agosta in the foot, redirecting it to Perrazo at short. There wasn’t enough time to throw out the runner at first, but Perrazo fired across the diamond anyway. Ketelsen, meanwhile, never stopped running, and tore around third in an attempt to steal a run. Josephson at first kept the shutout intact, though, taking Perrazo’s throw and immediately firing home to peg Ketelsen in a cloud of dust on a bang-bang play for the third out of the inning.

“[Josephson] picked me up there,” Perazzo said. “I pulled him off the bag a little bit. He came and got it, [threw] a strike home and saved us a run. Which is awesome. Just guys picking each other up. That’s what we’re all about this year.”

The Padres took the momentum into the dugout and used it to send nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning.
Sammy Rivas led off with a walk, and Perazzo lined a one-out single to left. Damelio cashed in with an RBI single off the netting in left. Josephson followed by reaching on an infield error with an RBI grounder. Rodriguez then wheeled and fired on an inside fastball, and scorched it just inside the left-field for a two-run double. Rodriguez then scored on an RBI single by Downing, who advanced to second on an outfield error. Evan Bradshaw capped the rally with an RBI single to right.

“I thought our approach on Tuesday was very good,” Keplinger said. “We hit the ball hard most of the day. I think on Tuesday, we only struck out three times off a very, very good arm. But obviously today, our bats really woke up. And, boy, it was everybody in the lineup. Our philosophy is to pass the baton, and we really did that today. It was fun to watch the offense go.”
Agosta went on to retire the next 11 batters he faced, getting some help from Perazzo in the fourth. With the speedy Tatum Marsh sending a high chopper to the left side, Perazzo had to position himself perfectly to lock and load for a quick, strong throw across the infield. The senior delivered a strike to first to get Tatum Marsh by a step.

“We knew that he was [the fastest of the fastest] coming in ... so right off the bat, I know I have to get rid of this ball,” Perazzo said.
Josephson added Serra’s final run in the fourth, leading off the frame with a towering home run to right-center field, his third of the year.

Agosta departed in the sixth. After retiring the first two batters in the inning, he jumped ahead of Hunter Fujimoto with two quick strikes before losing the strike zone and issuing his third walk. Agosta then hit Choi with his last pitch of the day. Minton entered and promptly hit Tatum Marsh with a pitch to load the bases. But cleanup hitter Quinten Marsh hit it to the wrong guy, grounding to Perazzo at short for the final out of the inning.

Minton set down the side in order in the seventh to close it out.
“It’s really big,” Damelio said of the win. “It’s a statement for us, for sure. We were overlooked, we felt. And today we really made a statement.”

The balance of power in the WCAL will be up for grabs again on Saturday. Serra returns to the field at Bellarmine. The Bells entered play Friday trailing Serra and Bellarmine by one game in the standings.