By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Pasadena area baseball programs had a solid first week in the CIF-SS playoffs. Maranatha, La Salle, Muir and Poly all won playoff games, while Flintridge Prep fell just short. To Prep’s credit, though, it took Highland 11 innings to end the Rebels season. Each of the four programs is hoping […]
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
Pasadena area baseball programs had a solid first week in the CIF-SS playoffs.
Maranatha, La Salle, Muir and Poly all won playoff games, while Flintridge Prep fell just short.
To Prep’s credit, though, it took Highland 11 innings to end the Rebels season.
Each of the four programs is hoping to punch their ticket to Friday’s quarterfinal round with a victory.
Maranatha was tested in their first round game of the Division 3 playoffs.
The Minutemen are the division’s No. 1 seed and they were riding the arm of Dawson Netz, who entered Friday’s game having gone 55 consecutive scoreless innings and boasting a 0.14 ERA.
Palos Verdes got two fifth-inning runs to not only break Netz’s record streak, more importantly, they took a 2-0 lead.
MHS, though, scored nine fifth-inning runs and they ran away with a 10-2 victory.
Maranatha will head to Simi Valley to take on Grace Brethren and the big question is whether Will Downing or Max Blessinger will get the start on the mound.
The Tri-Valley League co-champs average seven runs per game.
Grace Brethren earned a 2-0 victory over West Torrance in the first round.
La Salle showed no sign of rust in their 5-3 victory at Charter Oak last Friday.
The Lancers hadn’t played in 12 days and yet they took a 4-0 lead before Charter Oak had even picked up their bats.
Brennen Mace’s three-run shot in the first inning set the tone for the rest of the game and Zane Lindeman continues to prove what a big-game pitcher he is.
Lindeman register a complete game victory and in his past two playoff starts (against Santa Monica and Charter Oak), the Lancers’ senior has surrendered just three total runs.
La Salle will host Temecula Valley at the Arcadia County Park.
Senior Landon Smith (4-1, 1.73 ERA) will likely get the ball from first-year coach Eddie McKiernan, and face off against a Golden Bears program that is on a four-game winning streak.
Temecula Valley earned their spot in the second round by defeating Valley View, 6-2.
Poly travels to Azusa today at 3:15.
The top-seeded (in CIF Division 6) Panthers are facing the Montview League’s third-place team and against an Aztecs pitching staff that allows just under four runs per game.
Poly has gotten contributions from everyone on their roster and they seem to have a relatively deep pitching staff.
But the Panthers are best known for pounding out runs all season.
In fact, they average just under 10 runs per game and their pitching staff surrenders just over three runs each time they take the field.
Azusa shut out Coast Union, 3-0, in their first-round match up, and Poly hammered South El Monte, 3-0, on Friday.
Matt Queen went five innings Thursday, so he’ll likely be ready if needed.
Otherwise, Matt Loomis and Franco Alonso have both been dependable all season.
Muir is by far the ‘Cinderella’ of this season’s playoffs.
The following stat below this paragraph is not “fake news.”
The Mustangs’ baseball program had not competed in a postseason contest in approximately 13, 500 days before they took the field in this past Friday’s CIF Division 5 playoff game.
Muir earned the 5-2 victory way out in Twentynine Palms and they rode Valente Vera’s complete-game effort.
Rancho Christian will come to Muir today some 96 hours after shutting out Oxford Academy, 2-0.
The Eagles’ pitching staff has allowed a miniscule two runs per game and their offense scores nearly 10 runs a game.
Muir ace Brian Love (6-1, 1.25 ERA) will be on the mound for the Mustangs.
Tuesday’s CIF-Southern Section Playoffs
Baseball: Poly (23-3) at Azusa (14-6) at 3:15
Baseball: Maranatha (23-4) at Grace Brethren (17-8) at 3:15
Baseball: Temecula Vallley vs La Salle (15-10) at Arcadia County Park at 3:15
Baseball: Rancho Christian (21-4) at Muir (14-7-1) at 3:15
