Bethel wreaks havoc in sweep over Vallejo

May 2-Jesse Bethel and Vallejo high schools came into their Friday afternoon baseball matchup with overall records well below .500.

It didn't matter. Throw out those records like shorts in the Arctic or A1 sauce on a good steak.

They're aren't needed.

The Jaguars beat their rivals for the second time in three days, making their coach's day with a 9-5 win over Vallejo that rendered matters like overall records meaningless.

"Anytime we beat Vallejo, it makes up for it," Bethel head coach J.R. Lindsey said. "We could go 0-23 and as long as we beat Vallejo, it's a good season."

Bethel scored four runs in the bottom of the first to take a 4-1 lead and then scored again in the third, fourth, and fifth innings to stay in control. Bethel took advantage of four Vallejo errors and three balks.

"Putting the ball in play was the main thing," Lindsey said. "We've been hitting better for most of the second half. We finally got a pitching machine. So since we don't have a batting cage, we've been using the pitching machine, and ever since then, the team is putting the ball in play more."

Vallejo head coach Josh Ramos said the difference was who put the ball in play and who didn't.

"I thought that the momentum shifts in this game were very dramatic," Ramos said. "A lot of highs and lows. We scored one in the first inning, but we kind of ran ourselves out of the inning. We had an opportunity to score more in that inning and separate ourselves, but we didn't. I think their pitcher (Devin Scott) did a great job of throwing strikes and getting our hitters out with strikeouts. If we did a better job of putting the ball in play, we could have kept momentum on our side. But with those strikeouts, it shifted momentum right back to their side."

After Vallejo scored a run in the first, the Redhawks seemed to have the momentum when shortstop David Bernstine III deeked Jayden Espinoza to go back to first after he stole second. Time was never called in a play that brought back memories of Atlanta Braves outfielder Lonnie Smith not scoring in the 1991 World Series after a deke by Minnesota Twins shortstop Greg Gagne and second baseman Chuck Knoblauch.

However, Vallejo's sly move was overruled by the umpiring crew.

"So it's something (Bernstine) does every single time," Ramos said. "If a guy steals second, then he's trying to find a way to still get him out. Whether it's faking that the ball went into center field on the catchers' throw or telling the runner that it's a foul ball. And it worked again, with the umpire in the field originally saying he's (Espinoza) out. But then the umpire at home plate asks the runner, 'Why did you go back to first?' I mean, it doesn't matter, but (Espinoza) said '(Bernstine) told me it was a foul ball.' The umpire at home then calls time and says it was unsportsmanlike on Bernstine and sends (Espinoza) back to second base safely.

"I don't believe that's a high school rule, but I take him at his word. I could be wrong. But it did change the tide of the game."

Bethel quickly took advantage of the new life, scoring four runs in the inning thanks to a rally sparked by hits from Elian Murillo, Cristobal Estrella, and Devin Scott. Keith Salmon also had an RBI groundout, and the Jaguars scored another run on a Vallejo throwing error.

The score remained the same until the bottom of the fourth, thanks to Bethel starting pitcher Scott, holding Vallejo to just two hits while striking out five at that point in the game.

Bethel added a run in the bottom of the third on an RBI double by Xzavier Solis. The Jaguars added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an RBI single by Alex Romo and an RBI by Salmon when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Romo finished with two hits, a walk, and a hit by pitch in four plate appearances.

"I was going up there, basically trying not to think too hard about everything," Romo said. "I needed to calm myself, swing, and let the ball go wherever it wants. We had to make Vallejo make plays by putting the bat on the ball. It feels amazing to get this sweep, and I'm happy we did it. This means a lot."

Bethel seemed to score two more runs to make it 9-1 on a Mathis Reynolds' two-run single, but Ramos then presented the home-plate umpire with proof that Reynolds was not in the lineup card, and the two runs were negated, while Reynolds was ruled out to end the inning. After the game, Lindsey admitted to his team that he had made an error. Like he asks his team to do after a game when they make a mental error, Lindsey himself ran a lap from left to right field after the game. The team joyfully joined him in the trot.

Before Lindsey could run, Vallejo made the game close. Instead of being down eight runs, the Redhawks bridged the gap to 7-4 in the top of the fifth thanks to a double steal, an error by a Bethel infielder, and an RBI roundout by Josue Gutierez.

Bethel added two runs in the bottom half of the frame to create some breathing room, but Vallejo came right back again. In the top of the seventh, Bernstine homered to dead center to make it 9-5. His batting average coming into the game was 11th in the state.

"Every day I cherish all the moments with (Bernstine). His three hits today put him over .700 batting for the year," Ramos said. "He's going to finish around the top eight with batting average in the state. He just does everything right at all times. He's so baseball savvy, and it rubs off on everyone else. Wherever he moves on to, whether it be pro ball or college at Berkeley, we're going to miss him."

An argument then broke out as Bernstine came home after the solo homer, with Lindsey arguing that Vallejo was not allowed to have players come out of the dugout to celebrate with the senior. After some conversations between the umpires, nothing came of it, and a few minutes later, Bethel got the win when Jaelyn Haskins struck out Andre Sanders.

The Tri-County Athletic League playoffs begin next week, with both teams likely needing to win the tournament to qualify for the North Coast Section playoff bracket in two weeks. Wouldn't you know, the two teams are slated to meet once again on Friday at Jesse Bethel.

"Beating a team three times in a row is difficult, but we'll be up for the challenge," Lindsey said.

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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 7:19 PM.