TRACY — Missed opportunities was the theme for the West High baseball team on Wednesday.

Thanks in part to several missed chances at the plate, the Wolf Pack lost 3-2 to St. Mary's and squandered a chance to clinch a playoff spot and remain in the hunt for a co-championship in the Tri-City Athletic League.

Instead, the visiting Rams (17-9, 9-0 TCAL) locked up the league crown, and the Wolf Pack was left to sweat out the final day of the season with its postseason fate in the balance.

West (17-9, 7-2) must beat St. Mary's in Stockton on Friday or hope third-place Tokay loses to hang onto the second and final playoff spot in the TCAL.

"We left some runners out there," West coach Jim Rice said. "We couldn't get a bunt down when we needed to get a bunt down. ... We had our opportunities. We just came up a little short."

The Wolf Pack put 10 runners on base in the third, fourth and fifth innings but came away with just two runs.

Trailing 1-0, West left the bases loaded in the bottom of the third. After a two-run home run gave St. Mary's a 3-0 lead, the Wolf Pack put two runners on with one out in the fourth but couldn't push a run across.

West finally came through in the fifth. Anthony Salsedo doubled in Josh Thomassen and scored on an error to make it 3-2. Later that inning, back-to-back singles by Rico Martinez and Ryan Devencenzi loaded the bases with one out. But Mike Wentz flew out to right field, and Tyler Shepherd was thrown

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out at the plate for a dramatic inning-ending double play.

"They got a lot of hits, and they were banging on the door," St. Mary's caoch Peter Pijl said. "But we made some big defensive plays when we had to."

Devencenzi, who pitched a complete game for the Wolf Pack, kept the Rams scoreless over the final three innings, but West couldn't capitalize.

In the bottom of the sixth, West's leadoff hitter walked and was caught stealing. With two outs, Thomassen stretched a soft liner to left into a double and went to third on a passed ball, but he was stranded there.

The Wolf Pack caught a break in the seventh. Shepherd singled to right, but during the next at-bat, he was picked off at first and broke for second. The throw to second was wild, and West's tying run was suddenly in scoring position.

But St. Mary's closer Jordan Mould struck out the next two batters and induced a ground-out to end the game.

"(Devencenzi) pitched well enough to win," Rice said. "We didn't support him with our bats. We didn't get the timely hits."