Yes, that’s right, one of the younger players age-wise in his first year on varsity, played another crucial role in a late-game situation of a championship setting Saturday night at home in the Northern California State D-II Regional championship at Winship Field (YCHS).
In the lineup as the nine-hitter against No. 2 Saint Francis (Mountain View), Guth appeared like he was going to slash it – as was the plan two weeks ago in the Sac-Joaquin Section final – but the second baseman pulled back and ripped one with the bases loaded to bring home the winning and championship run, taking down the Lancers, 3-2 and giving top-seed Yuba City High baseball its first NorCal regional title in school history.
YC finished the season with a school record 31 wins to just five defeats and won its last 14 straight – 17 of 18 – to close out 2025.
“This time I hit it over the outfielder’s head – I saw him playing in – I knew I could hit it over his head,” Guth said. “I was expecting fastball and I was ready for it.”
Guth seems to always find himself in crucial spots to score in title-winning situations. On May 21, Guth found himself at the plate with the bases-loaded and took one for the team literally to score the walk-off run in the bottom of the ninth to beat Central Catholic for the school’s first SJS championship in a decade. Two weeks later, Guth again found himself on base 90 feet away from potentially giving YC the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Saint Francis (22-11) bounced out to short to end the rally.
“They don’t want to lose; they don’t want to stop playing either,” Yuba City head coach Maury Castaneda said.
It was a back-and-forth pitcher’s duel most of the triple-digit late afternoon, with starters Brandon Pelechowicz (Yuba City) and Ian McMahon (Saint Francis) each putting up multiple zeroes following a four-run first inning that put the game tied at two. Pelechowicz scattered four hits over seven innings, while allowing zero earned runs through 26 batters. The senior leader also struck out two to finish with 94 strikeouts on the year.
Offensively, Pelechowicz would bring home the first run on a scoring triple in the bottom of the first, while fellow senior Ashton Decker brought home the second on a RBI ground out, scoring Pelechowicz.
Defensively, Yuba City’s infield and outfield kept the Lancers off the board for six innings. Decker did what he does in center, hauling in a lined shot near the warning track, while junior Brody Miller ended the top of the seventh with a Saint Francis runner dangling away at third by forcing a Lancer out at second to keep the game tied.
Then came Yuba City – just as its done all spring with a eight-run inning against Twelve Bridges; crawling back from a 6-1 hole in the sixth in the section championship; and walking off a top-5 team out of the Central Coast Section out of the perennial power West Catholic League. Sophomore third baseman Cesar Guizar and juniors Wyatt Lane and Julian Garcia each delivered base hits to load the bases in the bottom of the seventh for Guth.
“Max is a ballplayer – a gamer dude (who) finds a way,” Castaneda said. “I told him yesterday (Friday) at practice that I was a fan of yours the way he plays second and the way he hustles he makes his own breaks that he got the opportunity.”
Guth executed his coach’s pre-game praise by lacing a ball past a drawn in infield with the last – and perhaps most celebrated – base hit of 2025 – a stroke that put Yuba City atop NorCal Division II for the first time ever.
Before the celebration could take place, Castaneda simply wanted everyone to touch each base and home in order to put the game in the books – officially.
“Now we can dogpile,” Castaneda said.
With a solid corps returning, including its entire infield and starting leftfielder, who hit .444 over the last five games with 7 RBI, Yuba City feels confident about its chances in 2026.
“I think we will be back in the championship and probably back in the state, too,” Lane said.
East Nicolaus 4, San Leandro 0
Top-seed East Nicolaus softball one-hit San Leandro for its 24th victory and first NorCal Regional title, winning 4-0 over the Pirates Saturday in Trowbridge.
No other statistics were provided Saturday night.