Carmel-Menlo baseball

Central Coast Section Division II finals
Saturday's game
No. 1 Carmel (22-7) vs. No. 3 Menlo (23-7) at San Jose Municipal Stadium.
 All season it has been about getting back to this point.
 Now that the top seeded Padres have reached the finals for the second straight year, it's about taking the final step.
 Carmel came up short last year, falling 4-2 to Sacred Heart Prep.
The last time it faced Menlo was in the first round in 2013, succumbing 3-2.
 It has been nine years since the reigning three-time Mission Trail Athletic League champion Padres have won a section baseball title.
 Hitless for 4 2/3 innings in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Monterey, the Padres made use of five hits over the final 1 1/3 to manufacture three runs, including one in the bottom of the sixth.
 Pitching, which was suppose to be a concern for Carmel, has been the cornerstone in the playoffs, having allowed just three earned runs in 21 innings of work.
Dylan Houpt will likely get the start in the title game for the Padres, having allowed just one run in five innings in his last outing while striking out seven.
 Menlo might be the best hitting team the Padres have faced, having produced 24 runs in three games, including 10 in a win over Capuchino to reach the finals.
 Production came from the bottom of the order for Carmel in the semifinals as senior  Jonah Trosky's run-scoring single in the No. 8 spot broke up a 2-2 tie.
 Daniel Higman and Trent Somerville also had key hits. While Carter Hayes is headed to Pacific to play third base, he struck out the side in the seventh on Tuesday.