By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com

There is a grit and toughness and an overall resiliency to the Napa Valley College baseball team that Wyatt Smith respects and appreciates so very much. It's the way that the Storm competes and battles and stays locked-in that Smith, a redshirt freshman, is so very excited about.

"We're never out of a game all year. We're always fighting and yelling in the dugout. We're always up. I believe in my squad," said Smith. "We've just got to get it done earlier."

Opening a season-ending, three-game Bay Valley Conference series on Tuesday, Napa Valley found itself behind 6-0 in the fifth inning against Solano Community College-Fairfield at Storm Field. Napa Valley responded, getting a two-run home run from Smith in the sixth inning, and scoring an additional two runs in the eighth inning.

"Fighting, scratching runs across the board is what we want to try to do," said Smith, a utility player out of St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School of Vallejo. "Bunting and doing all that small-ball to move runners around.

"It's been a tough season. We have perseverance. We've gone through a lot. It's been a year."

Napa Valley snapped a 23-inning scoreless streak – which included consecutive losses by shutout to Laney College-Oakland – by getting on the board against Solano. The Storm had four extra-base hits and three stolen bases, but lost Game 1 of its series to Solano, 9-4.

Cameron Taylor, a Napa High School graduate, went 2-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBIs, and Peyten Czekalewski, a Vintage High graduate, started and got the win, pitching seven innings and allowing five hits and three runs (all earned), to lead Solano.

College of Marin-Kentfield (26-11-1 overall, 16-3 Bay Valley), Laney (26-12 overall, 16-3 Bay Valley) and Los Medanos College-Pittsburg (24-13 overall, 16-3 Bay Valley) are tied for first place in the conference standings.

Tied for fourth place is Solano (16-21 overall, 8-11 Bay Valley), Mendocino College-Ukiah (11-20-1 overall, 8-11 Bay Valley) and Napa Valley (9-28 overall, 8-11 Bay Valley).

College of Marin is No. 19 and Laney is No. 25 in the California Community College Sports Information Association State Baseball Top 25 poll, announced by the California Community College Athletic Association, in a report, at www.cccaasports.org, on April 22.

The loss was the fourth in a row for Napa Valley, which had three errors, left six runners on base and struck out nine times. The Storm stranded two runners on base in the third and eighth innings.

Solano's 10-hit attack included six extra-base hits, including two home runs.

"There's times where we don't play very well, but the adage of, it's hard to beat someone that doesn't give up. And that's just exactly what this team is," said Storm coach Derek Mayer. "This team might be down a few runs, but they just don't quit. And that's all I can really ask for in those big run-differential games."

It was sunny and windy, with temperatures in the low 70s. The winds were out of the south-southwest.

Shosei Tatsuno went 2-for-5 with a triple, scored a run and had a stolen base.

Connor Ray was 1-for-4 with a double and RBI.

Myles Gray was 1-for-4 with a double.

Also, with one hit was Marcellus Cueva, who was 1-for-3 with a run scored and stolen base, and Connor Ulm, who was 1-for-3 with a stolen base.

The big hit for the Storm was Smith's home run over the left-field fence. He was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.

"I was definitely happy to spark a little fire in our offense," said Smith, a transfer from Jessup University of Rocklin. "Our offense needs to come out earlier in the game and put up a fight, instead of trying to come back every time.

"We just need to come out ready to go earlier in the game to get our juices flowing."

Smith, the Storm's cleanup hitter, belted a home run on a 3-2 pitch, an inside fastball, with one out that also scored Owen Nelson.

"It got to 3-2 (in the count), and I was in a good position to hit, anything over the plate to just get on base," said Smith. "I choked up on the bat, widened my feet and tried to be a tough out."

Smith has played in 37 games and has two home runs and 23 RBIs.

"He's had a great swing over the past couple of weeks. It just has not equated into success," said Mayer. "But to get a hold of that pitch in that situation, hopefully is a good boost of confidence for the next couple games."

Napa Valley has had Smith up and down the lineup – hitting leadoff, as well as in the Nos. 4 and 5 spots.

Smith said it's been a learning experience, particularly for the freshmen, being in the program that began with fall practices and workouts last September.

"We'll be pretty good next year. All those freshmen will be sophomores and will come ready to play," said Smith.

Mayer said he is looking forward to having the team's freshmen work on their strength and speed and overall skills during the summer.

"We've got a large group of freshmen. We took our lumps this year and really got a good perspective of what college baseball is all about. I expect this group of freshmen to get bigger, faster, stronger over the summertime, and to come back with that experience – the physicality and preparation that they know they're going to need for the duration of the fall and the spring," Mayer explained.

Tatsuno scored on a balk and Ray's double drove in Cueva in the eighth inning for Napa Valley.

Mayer said Nelson, who injured his ankle during batting practice, is questionable to be at catcher for Game 2 of the series. Czekalewski faced 28 batters, struck out eight, hit one batter, and did not walk anyone.

"Peyten is their ace, and has been a dominant force in the league for a couple of years now. We tip our cap to him, because he's a good competitor and he's got good stuff," said Mayer.

Czekalewski (6-6) has a 4.00 earned run average in 14 appearances (13 starts).

Taylor is having a very good season for Solano. The sophomore right-fielder is batting .359 with 42 hits, including 11 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 29 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 33 games.

"(Taylor) was able to battle and get himself into some good hitting counts. And obviously, he dominated the mistakes that we made on him. He's an impressive athlete, for sure," said Mayer.

Solano scored one run in the second inning, three runs in the fourth inning, two runs in the fifth inning, and single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

Rolando Ramos was 2-for-4 with a home run, double and RBI. Ramos homered in the eighth inning.

Michael Rivera was 2-for-5 with a triple.

Cooper Dwyer was 1-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs.

Nick Stubbles started for the Storm and took the loss. Stubbles pitched 4 2/3 innings, facing 22 batters, and gave up seven hits and six runs (four earned), while striking out two batters.

Carson Goss pitched in relief, going 2 1/3 innings, facing nine batters, allowing one hit, one run (earned), and walking one batter.

Emilio Diaz pitched two innings of relief, facing nine batters, giving up two hits and two runs (one earned), walking one and striking out two.

Solano will host Game 2 of the series on Thursday, April 24 at 2 p.m.

NVC will host Game 3 of the series at Storm Field on Friday, April 25 at 1 p.m.

* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.