East Union coach Dan Bauer was understandably emotional after his final postgame talk of the season Thursday at Agostini Field.
His fourth-seeded Lancers had just lost their Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinal series to No. 1 Roseville, which rode its second pitching ace and opportunistic offense to an 11-1 win in game 2.
Roseville (26-4) awaits the winner of the Del Campo-Central Catholic rubber game today. The championship game is on May 23 at Sacramento City College.
For the Lancers (21-10), the defeat marks the end of an era for their talented senior class that enjoyed great success across different sports. Center fielder and leadoff hitter Jackson Fay isn’t quite done yet, as he is working on a second straight appearance to the state track meet in the 100-meter dash.
The 2026 class entered high school as Bauer took over the baseball program.
“When I took over four years ago, we had eight guys trying out for varsity baseball,” Bauer said. “I knew it was a talented class, and we kept them at the sophomore level. We brought a couple of the guys up (to varsity) as sophomores, and (then-freshman) Peyton (Heath) was part of that group, too.
“How they play and how they compete; it’s just fun to be around.”
East Union came into the semifinals averaging seven runs per game but could only muster one run and five hits against the top-ranked team in the SJS this week.
On Tuesday, UC Davis signee Tyler Ritter struck out 10 and walked one in a two-hit shutout of the Lancers.
Not to be outdone, 6-foot-6 junior Ethan Gustus — committed to Vanderbilt — fired 10 strikeouts and gave up three hits and no walks, needing just 68 pitches to get through six innings. Left-handed senior Dustin Holcomb closed it out with a perfect seventh inning.
“They were good” said Brayden Camara, one of EU’s third-year seniors. “They’re solid pitchers going to big-time schools. They knew were to throw the ball, and we could have done a little bit better, but they pitched good.”
It was Camara who knocked in East Union’s only run of the two games. He also pitched in both games, totaling five solid innings (three hits, two runs, three walks, five strikeouts) in relief.
The Lancers jumped ahead in the first inning after Heath doubled on the first pitch he saw, and Camara followed with the RBI single up the middle.
In the second, Julian Ledesma belted a one-out hit but was tagged out at second as he tried to stretch it to a double.
The Lancers did not reach base again, as Gustus and Holcomb combined to retire the next 15 batters. Gustus, at one point, struck out five consecutive batters.
“It’s really rare to have two plus-plus arms in one school like that,” Bauer said of Ritter and Gustus. “Those guys are good pitchers with bright futures. I’m proud of our guys. There were some things we needed to clean up, but they’re the 19th-ranked team in the state for a reason.”
Offensively, Roseville totaled 13 hits — the first 12 being singles. Hit No. 13 was an RBI double in the seventh inning off the bat of Benjamin Jordan, who finished 3 for 5 with two runs and two RBIs. Devin Johnson drove in four runs, while Jacob Welch and Justin Fischer each went 2 for 5 with two runs and an RBI.
The Tigers rallied for three runs in the third inning to take the lead. A pair of two-out infield errors led to the six unearned runs during a fourth-inning flurry that put it out of reach.
Camara got to spend some of his final moments on the diamond with fellow senior catcher Kirk Simoni. The two embraced as Camara got the final out of the top of the seventh inning — a popup to Fay.
Camara led off the bottom of the seventh and flew out to center, again crossing paths with Simoni — the next batter — on his way back to the dugout.
“It’s rough ending your senior year, but the team was phenomenal,” Camara said. “We got along, we hung out outside of sports, outside of practice and everything. It was just such good team chemistry, and we all love each other.”
While lamenting the graduation losses, Bauer also offered a glimpse into the future. Heath, who pitches and plays in the infield, will return for a fourth varsity season. Ryan Allen and Ryder Tompkins will carry higher expectations after a productive campaign as sophomores.
“Every year, we try to go a little further and further in the playoffs,” Bauer said. “We have some guys coming back who will only get better, and for the guys coming from the younger levels there will be opportunities. Our whole philosophy here is the best nine will play. Peyton Heath, for example, as a freshman was top nine in the program, and he hasn’t sat out of a game yet.”
