Rahul Patel throws complete-game shutout to send Valley Christian back to CCS Division I title game
SAN JOSE - Second-seeded Valley Christian had a specific pitching plan entering Wednesday night's Central Coast Section Division I semifinal against third-seeded Los Gatos.
Rahul Patel had other plans.
The Warriors entered the game thinking they would throw multiple arms at a potent Wildcats lineup that scored 10 runs in its quarterfinal win over Bellarmine.
But Patel took care of things by himself, navigating his way out of jams in multiple innings and finishing off a complete-game shutout with three hits allowed as Valley Christian won 3-0 to advance to the CCS championship game on Saturday.
"When you get the one guy to go the whole game, then that plan works out great," VC coach John Diatte said.
Patel mixed up two types of fastball, a sharp breaking ball and a changeup to keep Los Gatos off balance. He especially needed them in the second inning, when the Wildcats (25-4) put two runners in scoring position to start off the frame.
Rowen Smith was hit by a pitch, then Jackson Fitzpatrick reached on a bunt single, then a balk moved them to second and third.
But Patel buckled down from there, striking out the side to end the threat. Though he navigated baserunners in other innings, that proved to be both his biggest challenge and triumph of the afternoon.
"It’s fun, so much fun," Patel said. "Playing these moments is amazing. It was just starting one pitch at a time. I’m not trying to think a couple batters down. It’s just stay in that moment, stay up with that pitch, throw every pitch with conviction.
"When you get in a jam, you know you gotta stay hyper-focused, be able to make one pitch at a time. I think that was just the biggest thing making me successful on the field."
Valley Christian (19-9) got two RBIs from Logan Mull and one from Nathan Miller to provide plenty of offense for Patel.
Patel was bumping up against the pitch count toward the end of the game, and Diatte said that what proved to be the final batter of the game would be his last hitter regardless.
He made it count, inciting an avalanche of blue and white that enveloped him in a boisterous celebration just in front of the mound. He finished with 109 pitches, one shy of the maximum total.
"That’s one of the things I’ve been praying for all of our seniors, that they’d have at least one moment," Diatte said. "And some of them had more. But here’s a moment for him where he gets to look back on his high school career and go, ‘Well, that was really cool.'"
Los Gatos’ season will continue in the CIF NorCal regional playoffs by virtue of reaching the Division I semifinals.
"Hats off to Patel," Cats coach Mike Minkel said. "He did a fantastic job. Really impressed with him and what he was able to do in that moment on the stage. That’s not an easy task. First time pitching at Excite, and essentially, he did everything that they’d hoped for and more.
"Unfortunately, we were unable to capitalize with runners in scoring position less than two outs, especially early in the game."
Brackets for the regionals will be posted on Sunday.
No. 4 Soquel 1, No. 1 St. Francis 0
In a game that paralleled the one preceding it, St. Francis found itself unable to scratch across a single run against Soquel pitchers Dylan Hull and Luke Shoemaker.
The Lancers (25-4) threatened in several different innings. They put runners on second and third in the fifth, two on with one out in the fourth, one on in the third and had runners at the corners in the first.
None scored, and St. Francis coach Erik Wagle was still searching for a big hit after the game.
"It’s a tough loss," Wagle said. "We’re a pretty high-powered offensive team, and we had some opportunities. We had too many stressed at bats, where guys got outside of our approach a little bit, had the moment get to them, and we didn’t push that run or two across that probably would have let us breathe out a little bit and just play baseball."
Wagle also lamented the waste of a strong performance from pitcher Brody Larocque, who went the distance with one run allowed on four hits with six strikeouts and one walk.
"I’m super proud of Brody," Wagle said. "He pitched his butt off tonight and showed exactly who he is as a young man. He’s been our leader all year on the mound, so for him to have a big-time performance like that (was great). It was definitely tough conditions to score."
Soquel (23-4) scored its lone run when Luke Santee singled to left in the second inning, scoring Sam Whelan from second with two outs. The Knights will face Valley Christian for the Division I title on Saturday at 7 p.m. back at Excite Ballpark.
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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 8:31 PM.