First published in the May 19 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
The Maranatha High School varsity baseball team collected its sixth straight victory by defeating host Lakewood, 10-7, in a CIF-SS Division II quarterfinal game on Friday.
With the victory, the Minutemen advanced to the semifinal round at Torrance on Tuesday, May 17; the result was unavailable by the Pasadena Outlook’s press deadline and will be included in next week’s issue. If victorious, Maranatha (24-6 overall record) would compete against Etiwanda (23-8 overall) or Palos Verdes (21-10 overall) in the championship game either this Friday, May 20, or Saturday, May 21.
Senior Mikey Ebner, who went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored on offense, picked up the win, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over 5.1 innings. Meanwhile, junior Garret McGuigan allowed a hit and struck out two batters in two-thirds of an inning.
Junior Cider Canon went 3-for-4 with a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored, junior Dylan Zdunek finished 2-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and a run scored, senior Nick Cook posted a double, a base hit and a pair of runs scored, and senior Angelo Aleman tripled with an RBI.
Junior Adrian Lopez tallied two base hits and two runs scored, senior Camden Andrews produced two hits and an RBI, and senior Donovan Gonsal recorded a base hit and an RBI.
Junior Bryan Richman walked once and scored a run, junior Isaac Ton notched an RBI, and senior Daniel Latshaw scored once.
The Minutemen defeated visiting Quartz Hill, 4-2, in a second-round game last Tuesday as freshman Jacob Yun earned the win while allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts across five innings.
Canon doubled and scored once, Zdunek posted a base hit and an RBI, and Richman and Lopez each registered a base hit and a run scored. Ebner and Cook each collected a base hit, while junior Judson Pitre scored once.
Maranatha picked up a solid 8-2 first-round victory over visiting Great Oak High of Temecula to open its postseason run. Freshman Zachary Strickland pitched four innings to earn the win, allowing one unearned run on one hit and two walks with three strikeouts. Meanwhile, Ebner, who finished with a base hit and a run scored on offense, pitched three innings and allowed one earned run on four hits with two strikeouts.
Aleman finished 2-for-4 with a triple, a pair of RBIs and two runs scored, while Richman went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, a stolen base and an RBI.
Canon tallied two hits and an RBI, Zdunek registered a base hit and two RBIs and Andrews doubled. Ton and Cook each recorded a base hit and a run scored, Lopez produced a base hit and an RBI, and Pitre scored once.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
Flintridge Prep’s varsity baseball team lost its CIF-SS Division IV second-round game at Aquinas High of San Bernardino, 5-0, last Tuesday. The Wolves were hitless through four innings until senior Spencer Seid collected the lone base hit in the top of the fifth.
Flintridge Prep concluded the season as Prep League champions with a 10-2 record (20-8 overall).
Freshman Brian Xu delivered a bases-loaded walk-off base hit to help the Wolves win their first-round CIF matchup over visiting Highland High of Palmdale, 10-9. He finished with an additional pair of base hits and a run scored.
Junior John Kully tripled, scored once and added two RBIs, senior Josh Beserra went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs and a run scored, and Seid finished 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and two RBIs. Junior Max Brunngraber collected a base hit, an RBI and a run scored, freshman Will Koh delivered two base hits and two runs scored, and junior Graham DesHotel produced a base hit and a run scored. Senior captain Nicholas Gonzalez posted an RBI and scored a run, senior Nathan Park had one RBI, and freshman Matt Chino scored once.
POLYTECHNIC
The Panthers were shut out in their CIF-SS Division IV first-round game at South Torrance High, 4-0.
Jason Mayo produced a double, Sam Howell reached on a base hit and a walk, and Max Alsoufiev walked once. Adam Arther took the loss, pitching five innings while allowing six hits, four runs (three earned) and three walks with five strikeouts.
Poly concluded the season as Prep League runners-up with a 7-5 record (10-8 overall).
LA SALLE
The Lancers were edged in their CIF-SS Division IV matchup against visiting El Modena of Orange, 2-1, in a second-round game last Tuesday. La Salle previously won its first-round game at Hemet, 6-3, and its wildcard game at Glendora, 7-1. No individual statistics were reported to the Pasadena Outlook.
The Lancers concluded the season third in the Del Rey League standings with a 7-5 record (17-11 overall).
