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Tuesday officially marked the end of the line for three outstanding Ferndale seniors.
The Wildcats traveled to Vallejo to play St. Patrick-St. Vincent in the opening round of the North Coast Section Division-5 baseball playoffs and fell 7-3.
The loss ends the season for Ferndale and closes out remarkable high school careers for Tanner Pidgeon, Prescott Langer and Tristen Titus, all of whom played key roles in multiple sports during their time as Wildcats and all of whom left an indelible mark in the school’s sports history books.
They will most be remembered for the impact they had on the football fields, including the memorable run towards a state title as sophomores and a senior campaign that saw them dominate opponents on the way to a another Section crown.
But it wasn’t just in football that these three left their mark.
All three featured in Tuesday’s loss and have played pivotal roles for the school’s baseball team this spring.
“They had a huge impact on the school and on the community,” Ferndale head coach Justin Andersen said. “They’re not kids you replace, and they’re all great kids.”
Just one run separated the two schools early on Tuesday, but the home team would begin to take control with a big fourth inning, plating five runs to open up a 6-0 lead.
They made it a seven-run advantage in the sixth, before the Cats finally opened their account with three runs in the seventh.
Langer got the start on the hill and pitched well early in the game.
“They swung it for sure,” Andersen said of the Bruins. “They hit the ball well, but Prescott gave us plenty of time (to get going) offensively.”
The Ferndale bats began to find their groove later in the game.
Pidgeon led the way at the plate and finished 2-for-3, while Titus finished 1-for-3 and drove in two of Ferndale’s three runs.
Pidgeon also had a good game behind the plate, while Langer, according to the coach, “did his job” on the mound.
Colton Renner also was 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Cade Renner finished 1-for-3 and scored a run and Westin Ayala was 1-for-3.
Ayala pitched one scoreless inning in relief of Langer to close out the game.
The slow start to the game offensively would prove costly.
“I think we just weren’t patient enough early on and kind of compromised and hit pitches that weren’t necessarily the pitches we were looking for,” Andersen said.
The Cats closed out the season with a record of 16-6, and with a relatively young roster they could continue to be a competitive team in 2027, even considering the big shoes they will need to fill in the three standout seniors’ wake.
“We got a lot of experience for the younger players,” Andersen said. “We should be pretty deep (next year).”
The Bruins, meanwhile improved to 17-10 and will play St. Helena in the weekend quarterfinals.
