Whitney splits day one of Boras Classic

Whitney's opening day at the Boras Classic truly was a tale of two games. The Wildcats opened one of Northern California's premier baseball showcases Monday in Sacramento with a frustrating 6-1 loss to perennial power Serra of San Mateo in a game that slipped away early and never allowed Whitney to find much rhythm. Energy lagged, defensive mistakes piled up, and the Wildcats were forced to deal with the added blow of seeing one of their top players leave with an injury. But the response later in the day may have said even more about this year's Whitney team than the opener. Behind a dominant start from Brad Duncan, a breakout three-hit performance from Jordan Castellanos and a four-run seventh inning, the Wildcats flipped the script with a gritty 7-5 win over Novato. It was the kind of bounce-back effort coach Jackson Watt said began with a reset in mindset between games and could carry real momentum deeper into the Boras Classic. "We went down early and just didn't respond the way we should have, and the energy was not good," Watt said of the opener against Serra. "We had a player go down and get hurt, so we talked a lot about regrouping. The best thing about a doubleheader is, hey, we get to go play two and get back out here and respond." Whitney answered exactly the way its coach hoped. The Wildcats came out with sharper focus, stronger energy and far more timely offense in the second game, finishing with 11 hits in the win over the Hornets. Jordan Castellanos led the way with a perfect 3-for-3 performance that included a triple, three runs scored and an RBI, while Hudson Osterhout also collected three hits. Braydan Bynum's two-RBI single in the seventh helped break the game open after a Novato rally in the sixth tied the game. Watt pointed to the team's approach at the plate, especially its willingness to use the conditions at Sacramento's Army Depot Park to its advantage. "We did a great job of hitting the ball the other way with the wind today offensively, and put up some runs," Watt said. The other major contributor was Duncan, who delivered one of Whitney's best starts of the season on one of the biggest stages it will face. The junior worked 5 2/3 innings, allowed three runs, one earned, and struck out seven, continuing what Watt said has been a recent upward trend. "Brad had a great start last week in league against Granite Bay as well, and he's just pounding the knees, throwing a lot of strikes," Watt said. "He's got a really good curveball. Those things paired together, being able to throw a couple pitches for strikes and having pretty good stuff, can get a lot of outs in high school baseball." The Wildcats' bullpen finished the job, with Bynum bridging the late sixth and Bryce Farris closing it out to secure the split on day one. While the opening loss kept Whitney from an unbeaten path in the Boras, Watt made it clear the bigger picture remains in front of his team. "The message today was that we wanted at least one win on the day, and we got it," Watt said. "Now let's go get a couple more wins out of this thing." That mindset matters in a tournament as loaded as the Boras Classic, where even a 2-2 or 3-1 week can turn heads across Northern California. For a young Whitney roster, Monday's split and response in game two may end up being as valuable as any trophy. "Being able to play a tough schedule, and being in the Boras is a huge part of that," Watt said. "Getting to play some of these different teams that we wouldn't usually play, and the added pressure of the environment is just great for our guys to learn how to play baseball under pressure." With an off day Tuesday before returning Wednesday, Whitney leaves opening day with momentum, confidence and proof it can respond against elite competition.