By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Success has been contagious at Poly this season. In the ‘big three’ sports, the Panthers have already won Prep League titles in football, and basketball. In baseball, Poly is just one win this week from clinching the baseball title with two games to play. Poly (15-7 overall, 9-1 in league) […]
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor
Success has been contagious at Poly this season.
In the ‘big three’ sports, the Panthers have already won Prep League titles in football, and basketball.
In baseball, Poly is just one win this week from clinching the baseball title with two games to play.
Poly (15-7 overall, 9-1 in league) holds a two-game lead over second-place Rio Hondo Prep (14-8, 7-3).
And while no one on campus will take any opponent for granted, it would be a shock if the Panthers didn’t win the baseball championship outright.
They travel to last-place Firebaugh on Tuesday at 3:30, against a Falcons’ team that hasn’t won a game all season. (0-11 overall, 0-10 in league).
Poly will end the regular season Wednesday when they host second-place Rio Hondo Prep at 3:30, and the Panthers will look to pay the Kares back for their 5-4 loss back on March 13.
Poly athletic director Steve Beerman took over the coaching duties after the season had started and has been a huge key in why the Panthers are on the cusp of a league championship.
Matt Loomis (4-1, 2.04 ERA) and Matt Queen (2-0, 0.78 ERA) have been dominant on the mound.
Ty Evans (.475 average), Franco Alonso (348), Matt Queen (.441) and Jack Wilson (.314) have all paced the Panthers’ offense.
** La Salle needs one victory in its last two games against Cathedral to earn a playoff spot.
The Lancers (15-12 overall, 6-4 in league) have already beaten Cathedral once and hold a two-game lead over the Phantoms (13-9, 3-6).
La Salle, though, could actually finish as high as second place in the Del Rey League if they’re able to sweep Cathrdral and if league-leading Bishop Amat (17-9, 9-1) sweeps second-place Serra (15-8, 7-3).
Serra would own the tiebreaker after winning the season series with La Salle, two games to one, even if La Salle swept Cathedral and Amat and Serra split their two-game series.
The La Salle offense continues to be lead by star junior Ethan Patrick, junior designated hitter Sammy Martinez and junior Noah Zate.
Patrick is hitting .442, and is tied with Maranatha senior Eddie Lopez with an area-best 38 hits.
Martinez has been especially clutch of late and is hitting .307 with 23 hits and he’s driven in 14 runs.
Zate is hitting .269, Luke Heiberg (.256), Zane Lindeman and Justin Zuniga are hitting .239, and have been contributing of late.
Lindeman is on a pretty remarkable run, having thrown a no-hitter and then an 8-inning, complete game to knock off previous unbeaten (in league) Amat on the road.
La Salle will travel to East L. A. College tonight at 6:30 for game one with Cathedral, and they’ll finish their season series on Wednesday at the Arcadia County Park at 4.
** Maranatha is the area’s only team with 20 or more wins after sweeping Valley Christian last week.
Heading into the final week of the regular season, it looked like the Minutemen were going to enter their two-game series with first-place Village Christian one-game back.
But Whittier Christian did Maranatha a favor after the Heralds downed Village Christian, 5-4, on Friday.
Maranatha (20-5 overall, 8-2 in league) will travel to Village Christian (19-4, 8-2) on Tuesday at 4, and then the Minutemen will host the Crusaders on Thursday at Brookside Park at 6.
With a sweep, Maranatha will win the Olympic League outright, but even if they split with Village Christian, the Minutemen will go into the playoffs as the league’s No. 1 seed, because they will have won two of the three games with the Crusaders.
Eddie Lopez is batting an area-best .521 and is tied for the (Pasadena) area lead with La Salle’s Ethan Patrick with 38 hits.
Max Blessinger (.462 average, 36 hits, 32 runs) and Marco Martinez (.453 average, 29 hits, 22 RBIs) have been red-hot all season.
An unsung hero for Maranatha, though, is Dante Campione.
The Minutemen junior is hitting .397 with 19 hits and 13 runs scored.
Kalani Chang (.365, 19 hits), Trevor Marrs (.344, 21 hits, 18 RBIs), Charles Acker (.342, 25 hits, 20 runs scored) and Casey Popham (.314, 16 hits, 17 runs scored) have all been key to Maranatha winning more games than anyone in the area.
Alex Cornwell (5-1, 2.50 ERA), Charles Acker (7-1, 0.71 ERA), Trevor Marrs (4-0, 0.85 ERA) and Dawson Netz (3-2, 0.88 ERA) will pave the way on the mound if Maranatha is to win an Olympic League and CIF-SS Division 4 titles.
** Pasadena and Muir will face off twice this week.
The Bulldogs (12-12 overall, 4-4 in league) will host the Mustangs (11-13, 4-8) on Tuesday, and they’ll finish out their regular season schedule Thursday at Muir.
First pitch for both games is 3:30.
If one teams sweeps the other, they’ll not only have city bragging rights, they’ll finish in fifth place and the loser will have to settle for sixth in the Pacific League standings.
