SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone: Baseball/Softball Roundup, Feb. 11th - Opening Day
Charter Oak, South Hills, San Dimas, La Salle, Arcadia and Bonita pick up wins at Pizza Chalet Tournament; La Mirada crushes St. Paul in softball.
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BASEBALL
It was Opening Day for teams in the CIF Southern Section, and as is always the case, we had some impressive performances.
PIZZA CHALET TOURNAMENT
Sterling Patick connected on 2 home runs and drove in 5 runs in South Hills’ 10-3 win over Don Lugo. (Escarcega)
#3 South Hills 10, Don Lugo 3: UC Santa Barbara signee Sterling Patick was sharp on the mound as he allowed one hit and struck out 10 hitters in four innings of work to pick up the win. Scouts had his fastball record between 87-90 MPH. The offensive star of the day was Oregon State commit Paul Vasquez as he hit two home runs and drove in five runs. Noah Malone, an LSU commit, went 3 for 3 with an RBI. The Huskies will play the winner of the Mater Dei at La Serna (Monday) on Wednesday.
#5 San Dimas 7, Crescenta Valley 3: The Saints scored four runs in the sixth inning and cruised to a home win over the Falcons. Junior Jude Favela had an impressive day on both sides of the field. Offensively, he had two doubles and drove in two runs. He also pitched six scoreless innings, surrendering three hits and striking out seven in earning the decision. Kasen Khansarinia, UCLA commit, also banged out two hits and drove in a run. San Dimas will take on Claremont on Wednesday. The 5 Wolfpack defeated Village Christian, 9-2.
#10 Arcadia 9, Damien 1: The Apaches got off to a fast start as they scored five runs in the first inning, which was more than enough for crafty right-handed pitcher Ian Hoffstetter in a home win over the Spartans. Junior Jerry Carlos was the offensive standout of the day for Arcadia as he banged out two doubles and drove in five runs. Hoffstetter was sharp on the mound as he allowed one run on two hits and struck out nine in five innings of work to pick up the win. J.D. Dunn drove in Damien's only run.
Diego Ortiz went 4 for 4 and drove in the winning runs for Charter Oak in a 4-3 win over Walnut. (Escarcega)
#2 Charter Oak 4, Walnut 3: Diego Ortiz grabbed all the headlines as his two-run double to right-center field, with two outs, drove in two runs in the sixth inning that proved to be the difference in a hard-fought win over the visiting Mustangs. Ortiz went 4 for 4 on the day and also pitched a scoreless seventh inning to pick up the save. Anthony Vasquez hurled six solid innings, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and striking out six. He retired the last nine hitters that he faced. Walnut's Matthew Cons, a Cornell signee, threw four innings, allowed two unearned runs, and struck out four. Nick Mejia had an RBI single in the third. Arcadia will travel to Charter Oak on Wednesday in a quarterfinal.
#7 La Salle 3, Montebello 2: Travis Ochoa was the hero of the day as his single, helped by a Montebello error, drove in Peter Callihan with the eventual winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning, to give the Lancers an emotional win. Morgan Sullivan threw 2 2/3 innings of scoreless pitching in relief and picked up the win. Oilers junior Gustavo Salazar drove in two runs and Tommy Meza amassed two hits.
#6 Bonita 2, #9 Northview 1: Senior Justin Santiago had the Vikings baffled all day long as he allowed only one run on three hits and struck out 11 in a complete-game performance. Junior Andrew Alva brought in two runs. Sean Batres drove in Northview's only run. Bonita will take on La Salle on Wednesday.
In other area baseball action
#4 Maranatha 3, Newbury Park 1: The Minuteman broke open a 1-1 tie by scoring two runs in the fourth inning and earned an Easton Tournament win over the Panthers at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Zach Strickland, a UCLA commit, was sharp on the mound for Maranatha as he allowed one run on one hit and struck out seven in six innings of work to pick up the win. Garrett McGuigan picked up the save.
La Serna 7, La Habra 2: The Lancers broke open a close game by scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and cruised to a home win over the Highlanders. Jake Long went 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs and Nick Allred went 2 for 3. Manuel Garcia allowed two runs on two hits in four innings of work and picked up the win. Jared Carwile and Rudy Andrade drove in La Habra's only two runs.
Norwalk 6-4, California 2-5: The Condors split a doubleheader from the host Vikings. In the second game, the Condors scored three runs in the fifth inning and withstood a late rally from Norwalk. Wil Valenzuela, a returning All-League pick, went 2 for 3 and drove in two runs. Senior Angel Miranda went 2 for 4 and brought in two runs.
South Pasadena 6, Salesian 4: The Tigers rallied for a 4-3 deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning by scoring three runs to pull out a thrilling win. Jason Yipp scored the eventual winning run when Jude Felix induced a walk with the bases loaded. Yipp also went 2 for 3 and Luke Riffle went 4 for 4 and scored twice. Junior Nolan Adams allowed 2 earned runs in six innings of work, striking out six to pick up the win. Sophomore Ben Regan picked up the save.
Baldwin Park 18, South El Monte 6: The defending CIF champions from 2022 brought out the bats as they collected 20 hits in a road win over the Eagles. Tommy Villanueva had two hits, including a triple, and scored two runs. Ivan Munoz went 4 for 5 and collected 4 RBIs. Gus Melero, a senior, also drove in four runs.
Chino 7, West Covina 3: Things looked promising early for the host Bulldogs as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead. However, the Cowboys rallied by scoring five runs in the fifth inning and earned the win. West Covina's Juan Reyes went 2 for 3 and Austin Nguyen amassed 2 RBIs.
Santa Fe 11, St. Paul 5: The Chiefs got their offense going by scoring five runs in the fourth inning and easily dispatched the host Swordsmen. Steven Mendoza went 3 for 4 and Adrian Jimenez brought in four runs. Brendena Menchaca allowed two hits and struck out seven in five innings of work to earn the win.
Downey 8, Glendora 6; The Tartans jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but it was the Vikings that flexed their offensive muscles by scoring four runs in the third inning and two more in the sixth to pick up the road win. Michael Moses was the offensive star of the day for Glendora as he connected on a home run and brought in 3 runs.
San Marino 9, Marshall 1: In a matchup of two programs from the west region of the valley, the Titans scored four runs in the first inning which proved to be the difference in a road win. Ryan Park had a double and drove in a run and Mikey Yessaian drove in two runs. Michael Liquori tossed six solid innings, allowing one run on seven hits and fanning four hitters to earn the decision.
Sonora 4, Kennedy 1: The Raiders scored three runs in the third inning that propelled them to a home win. Junior Adam Tigner went 2 for 3, with a double, and collected 2 RBIs.
Justin Cardenas threw a two-hitter for El Rancho in a 1-0 win over Royal. (El Rancho baseball photo)
El Rancho 1, Royal 0: Justin Cardenas stole all the headlines as he tossed a complete-game two-hitter as the Dons defeated Royal. Noah Rios scored the only run of the game for El Rancho.
Flintridge Prep 12, Big Bear 1: The Wolves broke open this nonleague game by pushing across four runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth to earn a home win. Graham DesHotel went 3 for 4 and drove in a run. Sophomore Brian Xu brought in two runs. Max Brunngraber, a top returning pitcher, looked sharp as he allowed one hit in five innings of work and struck out 13 to earn the win.
Sierra Vista 11, El Monte 0: Andrew Mora pitched a five-inning perfect game and struck out 12 in a home win over the Lions.
Other Scores
Pasadena 8, Temple City 5
Bosco Tech 15, San Gabriel 0
Arroyo 11-12, Gladstone 1-2
Whittier Christian 16, Pioneer 0
Alhambra 15, Cantwell Sacred-Heart of Mary 1
Birmingham 9, La Canada 0
Chaminade 3, #8 Bishop Amat 0
Oaks Christian 5, St. Francis 4
Alta Loma 10, Diamond Ranch 5
Bell Gardens 11, Bassett 1
Mayfair 7, Monrovia 1
SOFTBALL
#2 La Mirada 16, #1 St. Paul 1: In one of the more stunning results of the day, the Matadores scored eight runs in the first inning and seven more in the second to crush the Swordsmen. Rebecca Eckart, a University of Notre Dame commit, banged out two doubles and drove in three runs. Leadoff hitter Amanda Urbina had two hits, scored three teams, and drove in four runs. Elisa Castro allowed one run on eight hits to pick up the win. It was a disappointing effort from University of Nebraska signee Elisa Gulfin for St. Paul as she allowed six runs and was pulled without getting an out recorded. La Mirada also defeated Mission Viejo 8-2 and St. Paul suffered a 9-3 loss to Mission Viejo.
Anaheim Canyon 3, #7 California 2: Jes Gallegos sent Canyon fans home with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Comanches a thrilling win over the Condors. Junior Valerie Vasquez and Amaya Vasquez brought in both of the Condors' runs. Isabella Salas struck out six in five innings of work in the circle. California also lost to Rosary, 6-2.
#8 La Serna 5, Warren 3: The Lancers scored two runs in the first inning and three more in the third to earn an Opening Day win over the Bears. Elissa Guerrero drove in two runs and junior Olivia Torres threw three perfect innings in the circle, striking out four, and picked up the win. The Lancers dropped a 4-1 game to JSerra later on in the day.
#10 La Habra 11, Ontario Christian 1: Haley Westfal, a senior, was the offensive standout in this game as she hit a grand slam home run to help lead the Highlanders past Ontario Christian. Jazmine Darwin, a Culver Stockton College commit, allowed one hit in three innings of work and struck out three to earn the win. Earlier in the day, La Habra suffered a tough 8-7 loss to Gahr. Sophia Kissling collected two RBIs.
Santa Fe 8, Segerstrom 7: The Chiefs rallied from a 7-5 deficit by scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull out the win. Paris Guzman banged out two hits and drove in four runs. Ava Galvan, a sophomore, went 4 for 4 and brought in two runs. The Chiefs suffered a 9-2 loss to Arlington in their second game of the day.
Other scores
Muir 17, Marshall 7
Baldwin Park 21, Montebello 6
Redondo Union 8, San Dimas 3
Santa Margarita 10, Whittier Christian 4
Hillcrest 9, Schurr 2
Schurr 13, Corona 2
San Dimas 3, Newport Harbor 1
Diamond Bar 11-25, Garey 1-2