Wildcats defeat crosstown rivals Rocklin to advance to section semis

In its fourth encounter of the season, the Whitney High baseball team defeated Rocklin High 3-0 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I quarterfinals on Thursday. The Sierra Foothill League rivals faced off in a three-game series in April with the Wildcats taking two out of three. In Thursday's contest, the Wildcats were led by senior Gavin McLendon, who went the distance on the mound with eight strikeouts and only allowed four baserunners. "That fastball was feeling really good and the changeup was probably my best pitch today," McLendon said. "We know they're a good team (Rocklin) but to us, it's just another game. We've been here before and we have a lot more experience than last year." Whitney High got their bats going in the third inning with three hits, including a double by junior Nathan Erickson that brought in the first run. McLendon hit a triple in the fourth inning and was brought home by an Adam Van Der Kamp double to make it 2-0. The Wildcats scored their third run in the sixth inning off of a sacrifice fly by McLendon. McLendon is committed to San Diego State University. "I can't say enough good things about Gavin McLendon," Wildcats coach Jackson Watt said. "He has been on varsity for three years and you're not going to find a better kid out there. I always trust him with the ball in those big situations. He goes out there and throws strikes and stays composed." The Wildcats will advance to the semifinals to face St. Mary's High in a three-game series next week with the winner advancing to the section title game. Whitney High is the top-ranked team in the section with St. Mary's High being ranked third. The Wildcats are the defending Division I section champions. "I think the term is battle-tested and our guys do a great job of not making things a bigger deal than they need to be," Watt said. "We're just out here playing baseball and our guys love and trust each other. Because of that, we're able to do some pretty cool stuff." The Thunder only totaled two hits in the game that came from Jack Peterson and Ian Coyne. They finished the season with an overall record of 14-16, including a first-round playoff win over Davis High. "Our goal is to have tough at-bats and when you're facing the guy who is one of the top pitchers in the league, stringing together quality at-bats is the goal," Thunder coach Matt Jones said. "I think our junior class is fantastic and they're going to come back and be ready to go. I think our sophomore class is phenomenal as well. What is coming up the pipe here with this program is pretty exciting."