The Chabot College baseball team got hot at the perfect time in the 3C2A NorCal Super Regional Playoffs.
The Gladiators scored nine times total in the seventh and eighth innings to knock off Cabrillo 11-4 Saturday in the finale of the double-elimination event.
Chabot (33-11) advances to next week's regional finals with a berth to the state championships on the line. The Gladiators will travel to West Valley, which overtook Folsom Lake 18-17 in its Super Regional finale.
Emmitt Phinney broke a 4-all tie with a two-run double in the seventh and an inning later TJ Costello capped off a productive day with a three-run triple as the Gladiators scored seven times with two outs in their final two times at the plate.
"I told (Phinney) I still had the confidence in him and he responded in a big way," Chabot first-year head coach Paul Wiebens said.
Chabot got off to another quick start as Costello opened the scoring with a two-run homer to center in the first inning.
The Seahawks got a run back in the fourth when Anthony Karaginnopoulos doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt Morrison.
Cabrillo took the lead in the sixth as Karaginnopoulos doubled once again and came home on a Nic Erickson single. Erickson later scored on an errant throw on a pickoff attempt at first.
Erickson gave the Seahawks a two-run lead with an RBI single in the seventh, and things were starting to look bleak for the Gladiators.
Carmelo Rivera gave Chabot some momentum back with an RBI double in the home half of the seventh.
Raoul Fabian Jr. tied things at 4-4 with a sacrifice fly to bring in Rivera.
Two batters later, Phinney drilled a pitch to the gap in right-center to score both Daniel Behrmann and Costello to put the Gladiators back ahead, 6-4. Nick Walsh followed with a single that scored Phinney.
Costello gave Chabot some breathing room the eighth. With two outs, Costello ripped the ball down the right-field line as Rivera, Behrmann and Fabian all scored on the triple, and Phinney added an infield hit for a seven-run Gladiators advantage.
Daniel Velichko capped off an excellent performance in relief with a strikeout of Erickson to give the Gladiators a Super Regional berth.
Velichko, in relief of starter Will Aviles, allowed no hits or runs over 2.1 innings, striking out two and walking two.
"Our pitching has been outstanding all season long and they really stepped up the last couple of games." Wiebens added.
Aviles scattered seven hits for the Gladiators.
Behrmann, Costello, Phinney, Rivera and Gabe DeBenedetto all had two hits apiece for Chabot.
Chabot had its work cut out after falling to Santa Rosa Junior College 14-4 on Thursday to put them one loss away from ending its season.
A 4-1 Gladiators' victory over the same Cabrillo on Friday gave Chabot back its swagger.