So far, it’s been a rough start for the San Lorenzo Valley baseball team after it dropped a third straight game to begin the 2025 spring season.
To be fair, those three losses came against formidable opponents that head coach Shane Sutcliffe likes to refer to as “gladiators.”
“Our league is tough,” he said. “You have to play gladiators because our league will compete with gladiators, which is kind of nice. It’s nice for them to understand other teams from other areas.”
The Cougars lost, 8-4, to Bellarmine Prep—members of the powerhouse West Catholic Athletic League—in non-league action Tuesday afternoon. It wasn’t the outcome senior Jaden Shabry was hoping for, yet the defeat was still considered a morale victory in his eyes.
“Obviously we’re upset we lost, but I think most of us are excited if we’re playing this well against a WCAL team,” Shabry said. “I think we’ll play well in our league. We’re super excited we played [Bellarmine] tight, but we want to win. [It’s] bittersweet.”
SLV got to Bells’ star pitcher Christian Duarte—a Santa Clara University commit—early in the game. Shabry had a lead-off double in the bottom of the first inning, and later scored on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Larrabee Mitchell that gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
“I just knew that [Duarte] was going to try to pound fastballs,” Shabry said. “He thought no one was gonna be able to hit a fastball on our team. He threw me one and I was able to get on time with it and went to left field. That was the same thing with most of our teammates.”
Bellarmine tied the score shortly after with Evan Tavarez’s RBI single in the top of the third, and then took a 6-1 lead following an explosive five-run inning in the fourth.
The Cougars chipped away at the deficit in the bottom of the fourth after a two-run double by junior Porter Boyd, who roped the ball to left centerfield and made it a 6-3 ball game. They also forced Duarte to take a seat on the bench.
“[Duarte’s] tall. It’s weird facing a tall angle from that tall lefty slot,” Shabry said. “I try to face every pitcher the same way. No matter who it is, I kind of want to take the same approach depending on who it is. I try not to make it bigger than it actually is.”
This year’s Cougars squad is made up of just 12 players. It’s a small group but Sutcliffe is still excited to see what lies ahead.
“It’s the heart, the competition, moving guys around,” he said. “Some guys are playing three spots in a game.”
One of those players is senior Philip Nattrass, who played on the diamond and tossed a couple of innings on the mound in Tuesday’s game.
“I can call him at any time,” Sutcliffe said. “Even after today, he said I’m ready for the next game.”
The rest of SLV’s roster includes seniors Dom Aguilar, Marlon Braun, Jordan Renteria and Bennet Woolfolk; juniors Brody Egnar, Sean Johnson and Gabe Machado; and sophomore Spencer Bruce.
Sutcliffe expects the seniors, such as Shabry, to bring a veteran presence and prepare the younger players for the long haul ahead.
“[Shabry] just has a tenacious ability to get after it,” Sutcliffe said. “He makes plays when we need it. He doesn’t talk at all, he just leads on the field. He’s a guy that people are going to have to go through to beat us.”
SLV dropped to an 0-3 overall record with previous losses to Terra Nova of Pacifica and Santa Teresa. The grueling non-league portion of their schedule continues with games against Rancho San Juan, Franklin of Stockton, Wilcox and Sacred Heart Prep.
Shabry echoed his head coach by saying the reason they play these challenging teams is to prepare them for the upcoming Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League season. SLV is competing against defending league champion Aptos along with Harbor, Santa Cruz, Soquel and Scotts Valley for this year’s crown.
“I really want it to be a fun year,” Shabry said. “Our one goal right now is probably trying to make [the Central Coast Section playoffs]. We’re trying to just pound away, try to get as many wins as possible just to get that achievement. I want to keep it fun, keep that energy up.”
SLV begins SCCAL play at home against Soquel on March 21 at 4pm.
