This one’s for mom: De La Salle’s Hank Tripaldi hits grand slam to win NorCal championship weeks after mother’s passing
SAN JOSE — Hank Tripaldi pointed toward the sky while circling the bases Saturday, to tell his mother he did it for her.
With De La Salle down to its last out in the top of the seventh inning, the junior hit a grand slam over the left-field wall to turn a one-run deficit into a three-run advantage.
Robin Tripaldi died of breast cancer on April 25.
With the support of his teammates, Hank pushed through the final weeks of this season, one that ended with De La Salle celebrating an epic 11-8 victory over top-seeded Valley Christian to repeat as Northern California Division I regional champions.
“She’s always in my head,” Hank said amid the celebration. “I love her. I miss her. I did it for her.”
The home run was Hank’s second of the game, both to left field, and capped a six-RBI day for the third baseman.
The Spartans wear green wristbands in support of their teammate.
“The only way I was able to get through it was coming to baseball practice, playing games, hanging out with my buddies,” Hank said. “These are going to be my friends forever.”
Just as it did in the NorCal final last season against St. Francis, De La Salle (27-5) charged back from a three-run deficit in the seventh inning to prevail as the Concord powerhouse stretched its postseason winning streak to 30 dating to 2016.
Five consecutive Spartans reached base with one out in the seventh to push across two runs, bringing the visitors to within 8-7.
After a strikeout, Tripaldi stepped into the batter’s box with the bases loaded.
It was a moment scripted for a movie.
“We all love each other so much,” left fielder Kai Smith said. “He’s like a family member to us. What a Spartan way. How beautiful is that for him.”
Tripaldi had driven in a run with a single in the third. He hit a solo home run in the fifth after Valley Christian (31-4) had erased an early three-run deficit to take a 5-3 lead.
But his big swing was his last swing.
The towering fly ball cleared the tall fence in left field and sent De La Salle players charging out of the dugout to share the moment with their hero.
“It’s unbelievable,” center fielder Alec Blair said. “He’s such a good guy, too. I couldn’t be prouder of him. It’s just God’s plan. God was with him today. He hit two just absolute missiles to left field. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Valley Christian had rallied much of the day around its own teammate, third baseman Michael Castaneda, the West Catholic Athletic League’s pitcher of the year this spring.
While trying to bunt in the second inning, Castaneda, who last week called his time at Valley Christian the best four years of his life, took a pitch to the face.
After trainers and coaches rushed to his side in a frightening and bloody scene, Castaneda was helped to his feet and taken to a hospital.
As Valley Christian was closing in on what seemed like a championship, Castaneda was FaceTiming with his teammates, who were in the dugout.
“As soon as I am done here, I am going to go find him and spend some time with him,” Valley Christian coach John Diatte said. “It was scary for all of us, mostly for him. Once the injury happened, for him I think it was knowing that was the end of his senior year.”
The injury cast a pall over Valley Christian as second-seeded De La Salle scored two runs in the next inning to extend the advantage to 3-0.
But Valley came to life when it loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the third, and PJ Moutzouridis, the WCAL’s MVP, socked a three-run double down the right-field line to even the score. Moutzouridis doubled again two innings later.
Carmelo Rivera’s single to center in the fourth knocked in two more runs to give Valley a 5-3 lead.
When Valley scored three in the fifth to make it 8-4, the home team was closing in on the finish line.
But against De La Salle, close isn’t enough.
Not even for a team like Valley Christian, which has done its share of celebrating championships through the years.
As the game got late, De La Salle players reminded themselves vocally that the game was not over, that a comeback was still possible.
Deep down, most probably knew that if it came down to Tripaldi, divine intervention would take over.
And it did.
“The last home run he hit, she was there,” De La Salle coach David Jeans said. “The guys have been there for him. Baseball has just been an outlet for him. She really appreciated him as a ballplayer, as a son. We’ve just been supporting him.”
Late Saturday, with the Spartans down to their last out, Tripaldi supported them.
He won his teammates a championship.