San Diego U-T Preps

Playing their last high school baseball game together, the Hoffman brothers — sons of Padres Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman — walked away champions.

Quinn, a senior shortstop, had a pair of singles, drove in his brother in the third inning, stole a base and scored a run. Wyatt, a junior second baseman, singled twice, stole a base and scored two runs as Cathedral Catholic edged Eastlake 5-2 to claim the San Diego Section Open Division title Saturday night at USD.

“This is surreal,” said Quinn, who is headed to Harvard next season. “Winning the championship, driving in my brother. These are the moments you cherish forever.

“It wasn’t just us, though. We got great pitching from Connor Lunn and Preston Price. We got big hits, big contributions from everyone in the lineup.”

Wyatt, who hopes to move over to shortstop next season, is the quieter of the brothers.

“I so look up to Quinn,” Wyatt said. “It didn’t hit me until late that this was our last game together. But every guy on this team laid it on the line tonight and all season.”

Third-seeded Cathedral Catholic (25-9) scored four times in the third.

Wyatt Hoffman started a one-out rally with a single and Jacob Allred walked. Quinn Hoffman drove in the game’s first run with a single. Cole Mueller doubled home two runs and Nick Mastrini’s single scored Mueller.

“The key to that inning was Brad Polinsky’s at-bat,” said Cathedral coach Gary Remiker. “He made an out, but he had a 15 pitch at-bat.

“Their pitcher (Julian Escobedo) was going on short rest, and Brad stressed him. After that at-bat, we single, walk, single, double, walk.

“I think Polinsky took something out of him.”

The Dons added another run in the fourth when Wyatt Hoffman again singled with one out. He stole second and scored when Quinn’s infield roller was thrown away.

Eastlake (29-5), seeded fourth, got two of the runs back in the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Micah Pietila-Wiggs and Ben Ramirez and a single by L.J. Jones.

But Price, who is headed to Arizona, set the Titans down in the sixth and seventh.

Eastlake left two runners on in the first inning, left the bases loaded in the second, stranded two more in that fifth and had a runner picked off second.

The Titans also left a runner in scoring position in the sixth.

“We had one bad inning,” said Eastlake coach David Gallegos. “We just didn’t get a key hit against a good Cathedral team.

“Those first two innings when we left all those guys on base came back to bite us.

“Still, we won 29 games, and I couldn’t be more proud of my team. Losing in the championship two years in a row (the Titans lost the Division I title to Poway last year) is heartbreaking.

“We’re young, though. And we’ll take a run at it next season.”