Brinkley opens, closes door in BCHS CIF baseball CIF title win

VISALIA - Twenty-seven hours before Thursday night's CIF Central Section Division 2 championship baseball game, nine Bakersfield Christian High seniors each expressed confidence and envisioned how great it was going to feel when it ended.

It wasn't cocky confidence; it was maturity from four-year players who knew the opportunity that was in front of them, knew their time together as a team at this level was short and knew it was up to them to lead the way. They sought a celebratory dogpile, the chance to hold up the championship plaque and share the moment with family, friends, teammates and fans.

Nobody said it was going to take nine innings, but when senior Deakin Brinkley crushed Arroyo Grande reliever Zack Johnson's down-the-middle fastball deep in the gap between left and center field, and fellow senior, London Anderson, scored all the way from first for a 4-3 BCHS victory, everything was fulfilled.

"Win that championship, dogpile. It's going to be the greatest time, ever," Brinkley said the day before.

It took a few minutes, but Brinkley eventually did get up from being at the bottom of that dogpile near second base at Valley Strong Ballpark as players ran en masse toward him where he stopped when Anderson scored the winning run.

That the hit happened was also something both BCHS coaches and players sensed at the same time.

"We were saying, ‘If he hits one in the gap, we've got this,' and he pulled it out," BCHS head coach Mark Ratekin said after the game, which was his 200th victory as head coach. "Deakin has been amazing all season for us."

Anderson, still catching his breath a bit from both the hard-charging run and all of the celebratory antics afterward, knew when the moment was about to happen.

"My whole plan was just to get to first so our team's best hitter would get up," Anderson said after drawing a two-out walk. "I told Carey (Crain, BCHS first-base coach) if he hits a ball in the gap, I'm scoring - and he did!"

Brinkley's game-winning hit came in a game in which he also opened the scoring.

BCHS starter McCoy Silicz struck out two of three batters to begin the game and get teammates fired up for their first at-bats. Brinkley, who bats second, sent a pitch from Arroyo Grande starter Grady Pope over the right-field wall for a solo home run.

Arroyo Grande seized some momentum and the lead with two runs in the third inning off Silicz. A bunt by freshman Brock Paz scored Jackson Ralph from third and Ruben Servin drilled a ball to centerfield, over Anderson's head to score Anders Winter.

But BCHS got two back in the fourth inning when Maddox Garza walked and Karson Greer hit a ball to center and it got through under the sweeping glove of Arroyo Grande's Winter. Garza scored and Greer slid into third. Tristen Garcia followed with a single for a 3-2 BCHS lead.

The teams slowed down a bit with Arroyo Grande going from Pope to Johnson on the mound and Silicz went six innings and Garcia came in to pitch the seventh with a chance to get the final out.

Instead, Arroyo Grande's Ralph singled, got bunted over to second. A ground ball out moved Ralph to third. Garcia intentionally walked Servin. Tane Kurth came up and Garcia threw a pitch that got past catcher Greer. Ralph scampered home ahead of a late throw to the plate to tie the game. It forced BCHS to try to win the game in walkoff fashion.

BCHS' seventh consisted of Cale Nielsen singled, Anderson struck out and Brinkley was safe at first on a ground ball that got Nielsen out at second and was nearly a double play. Silicz popped up in foul territory by third base to send the game to the eighth inning.

Spencer Watkins, who had been playing at second base went to the mound and pitched effectively. BCHS' Ryan Burgess was hit by a pitch, but nothing happened. In the ninth inning, the best Arroyo Grande could do against Watkins was get a runner on second with two outs. Paz grounded out to second to end that threat.

"It felt amazing to go in there, throw strikes and get the job done," Watkins said of his contribution. "All the pressure's on and I love it. I was so happy."

The Eagles' ninth began with Charlie Bolstad and Nielsen flying out for two quick outs before Anderson walked and Brinkley made contact. And just like that, the top-seeded Eagles (26-6-1) had the program's fourth CIF section title in the last six years and the 2026 team did what it said was possible.

BCHS will now prepare for the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs. Brackets will be announced over the weekend and the first game is Tuesday.

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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 12:07 PM.