Maranatha, Flintridge Prep Win League Championships

The Maranatha High School baseball team shut out visiting Serra High of Gardena, 7-0, in its regular-season finale last Friday. The undefeated Olympic League champion Minutemen (12-0 in league) head into the CIF Southern Section playoffs this week boasting an impressive 21-5 overall record while outscoring their opponents 224-57. Maranatha previously saw its five-game win streak end after being shut out by visiting Camarillo, 1-0, in a nonleague game last Wednesday. Junior Baron Lutz allowed one hit and one walk with four strikeouts over three scoreless innings while junior Garrett McGuigan allowed one unearned run on one hit with seven strikeouts over four innings. Senior Isaac Ton recorded a base hit and a steal while seniors Judson Pitre and Bryan Richman each walked once. The Minutemen defeated visiting Mayfair High of Lakewood, 9-3, in a nonleague game last Monday as senior Jackson Hisey racked up 11 strikeouts with no walks over 6.2 innings while allowing three hits and three unearned runs. Freshman Eric Zdunek went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs and a steal while senior Cider Canon went 2-for-4 with a run and a steal. Junior A. J. Beltre went 2-for-2 with three runs and a steal while freshman Noah Everly went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run. Richman recorded a hit, two RBIs and a run, sophomore Jacob Yun pitched one-third of an inning with a strikeout, senior Hudson Story walked twice and scored once, and Ton produced an RBI. Maranatha recently picked up a 9-7 nonleague victory at Charter Oak High in Covina. Story went 2-for-2 with two doubles, three RBIs and a run while senior Dylan Zdunek recorded a double, two RBIs, a run and a steal. Canon tallied a hit, an RBI, a run and two walks, Richman registered a hit, a run, two steals and two walks, and Zuniga produced a hit, an RBI and a run.

Sophomore Matthew Kurkdijian finished with two runs, an RBI and a steal, Eric Zdunek had an RBI, a run and a steal, and Ton had an RBI and a run. Beltre walked once and stole a base while Everly walked once. The Minutemen recently collected their third consecutive shutout after routing visiting Heritage Christian High of Northridge, 17-0, in a league game as Mc- Guigan, Ton, Richman and Dylan Zdunek combined for a one-hitter. Dylan Zdunek, who pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout, went 3-for-4 with two triples, five RBIs and two runs while McGuigan had four strikeouts over two innings with one walk. Richman, who finished with a double, three runs, two walks, an RBI and a steal, and Ton, who went 2-for-2 with two runs, two steals, an RBI and a walk, each posted a pair of strikeouts over an inning of relief. Canon went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, four runs and a steal, Pitre went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs, and Story went 2-for-3 with a double and a run. Hisey scored twice while Beltre walked once. Maranatha recently blanked host Whittier Christian High in La Habra in a league game, 14-0, as Canon went 4-for-4 with three home runs, six RBIs and four runs.

Hisey allowed one hit and two walks with six strikeouts over five scoreless innings, Dylan Zdunek went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, three runs, two steals and an RBI, and Everly went 2-for-2 with two steals, an RBI and a run. Beltre recorded a hit, two RBIs, a run and a steal, Zuniga tallied a hit, an RBI, a run and a steal, and Eric Zdunek finished with a hit, an RBI and a run. Sophomore Dylan Garcia and Richman each registered a hit and a run, Story had an RBI, and Ton walked once and scored a run. The Minutemen previously picked up a 13-0 victory at Heritage Christian in a league game. Christian Chang went 3-for 4 with two runs and an RBI, Everly went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and two runs, and Dylan Zdunek went 2-for-2 with a triple and two
runs. Canon slugged a two-run home run while Beltre registered a double, two RBIs and a run. Lutz had four strikeouts over three innings with two hits, sophomore Matthew Vazquez had two strikeouts over two perfect innings and junior AJ Campana had one strikeout and one hit over an inning of relief. Kurkdijian and Story each tallied a hit and a run while junior Beau Stubbs finished with a hit and a walk. Garcia walked once and scored a run while Mc- Guigan walked once and added an RBI. Sophomore Zach Strickland and Eric Zdunek each scored once while junior Chase Artura and Richman each had an RBI. Maranatha will open the CIFSouthern Section Division I playoffs today by hosting Millikan High of Long Beach (20-8). If victorious, the Minutemen would advance to the second round and meet either Santa Margarita (22-6) or Foothill (14-14) on Tuesday, May 9.

FLINTRIDGE PREP
The Wolves won their regular- season finale at Providence High in Burbank, 8-3, in a Prep League game last Thursday. Senior captain John Kully went 2-for-2 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs while freshman Nathan Sanok registered a double, an RBI and a run. Sophomore Rowan Schaeffer, who had a hit, four runs and two walks, allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts over five innings while freshman Will Grable, who had a hit and three RBIs, had four strikeouts over two scoreless innings. Senior captain Max Brunngraber produced an RBI and a pair of walks while sophomore Calvin Chen finished with an RBI and a walk. Sophomore Will Koh scored once while senior Evan Yoon and sophomore Matthew Chino each walked once. Flintridge Prep edged visiting Providence, 8-7, in a league game last Tuesday as Brunngraber, who went 3-for-4, racked up eight strikeouts over 6.2 innings with no walks. Sanok went 2-for-3 with a triple, a double, two RBIs and a run, Kully collected a hit, an RBI, a run and a walk, and Grable recorded a hit, an RBI and a run. Sophomore Brian Xu and Chen each tallied a hit, a walk and two runs, Schaeffer finished with a hit and an RBI, and Chino scored once. The Wolves were recently edged at Monrovia, 6-5, in a nonleague game. Kully registered a hit, three steals, an RBI and a pair of walks, Chen tallied a hit, an RBI, a run, a steal and two walks, and Schaeffer finished with a hit, a steal and two runs. Chino produced a hit, a run and a walk while Brunngraber recorded a hit and two walks. Sophomore Gregory Sue, who walked once and stole a base, allowed one hit over three scoreless innings of relief with no walks. Sanok walked and scored a run while Xu was credited with an RBI. Flintridge Prep recently defeated host Marshall High in Pasadena, 9-8, in an extra- inning nonleague game. Schaeffer went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, two RBIs and a walk, Koh went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run, and Kully tallied a double, an RBI, a run and a walk. Grable, who had a hit, an RBI, a run and a walk, finished with four strikeouts over four innings while Sanok, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, two runs and a walk, pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Brunngraber finished with a hit and two walks while junior George Hayes produced an RBI and a run. Chen scored once while senior captain Graham DesHotel walked once. The Wolves previously picked up a convincing 9-1 league victory over visiting Providence High of Burbank as Brunngraber, who had a hit, an RBI and a run, tossed a complete game with eight strikeouts, six hits, one earned run and no walks. Koh went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs and a run, Chen went 2-for-2 with two runs and a walk, and Sanok went 2-for-3 with a run. Xu recorded a hit and two RBIs, Schaeffer tallied a hit, an RBI, a run and a walk, and DesHotel produced a hit, a run and a walk. Meanwhile, Grable and Kully each walked and scored once. League champion Flintridge Prep (10-2 in league, 17-7 overall) will open the CIFSouthern Section Division III playoffs by hosting La Salle College Preparatory (18-10) today. If victorious, the Wolves would advance to the second round and meet either Beckman High of Irvine (14-12-2) or Poly High of Long Beach (21-3) on Tuesday, May 9.

POLYTECHNIC
The Panthers ended the regular season on a three-game win streak after blanking host Palos Verdes Chadwick, 5-0, in a Prep League game last Friday. Senior captain Adam Arther racked up eight strikeouts over five perfect innings while sophomore Connor Poon, who had a hit, a run and a steal, posted four strikeouts over two scoreless innings with three hits and no walks. Junior Luke Kim went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a steal, junior captain Henry McDonald registered a double, an RBI, a run and a steal, and junior Sean Asperger tallied a double, an RBI and a run. Junior Chase Engstrom finished with a hit and two RBIs, sophomore Connor Poon produced a hit, a run and a steal, and senior Dash Ferrante and junior Elliott Rowley each walked once and scored a run. Poly routed visiting Palos Verdes Chadwick, 11-1, in a league game last Tuesday as senior Charlie Thorell, who went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs, allowed one run on five hits and two walks over five innings with four strikeouts on the mound. Arther went 3-for-3 with a run, Ferrante went 2-for-4 with two runs and senior Noah Lyon-Hartley went 2-for-3 with a run and a steal. Senior Nick Cardenas registered a triple, two RBIs, two runs and a steal while McDonald tallied a hit, three runs and a steal. Senior Griffin Unanue finished with a hit, an RBI, a run and a walk while senior Charlie Brunold produced two RBIs, a run and a walk. The Panthers picked up a convincing 13-0 league victory at Palos Verdes Chadwick last Monday as Arther, who went 2-for-3 with a
double, two RBIs, a run and a steal, racked up 11 strikeouts over five scoreless innings with one hit and one walk. Rowley went 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs, McDonald went 3-for-3 with two doubles, three runs, two RBIs and a steal, and Kim went 3-for-4 with a double, three runs, an RBI and a steal. Asperger registered a double, an RBI and a run, Poon tallied a hit, an RBI and a walk, and Engstrom recorded a hit, an RBI and a steal. Ferrante scored twice, walked once and stole a base while freshman Alex Chui walked once, scored a run and stole a base. Poly recently lost a league game at Providence High in Burbank, 5-1. Engstrom recorded a double, McDonald finished with a hit, a run, a steal and a walk, and Arther, Asperger and Poon each had a base hit. Harrison Unanue had one strikeout over 1.1 innings while Ferrante tallied an RBI. The Panthers recently edged host Rio Hondo Prep in Arcadia in a league game, 12-11, as McDonald fell a single short of the cycle after going 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple, a double, six RBIs, three runs and two steals in a stellar performance. Rowley went 4 for-5 with a double and three runs, Chui went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run, and Ferrante went 2-for-4 with a run and a walk. Poon, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a run, tallied five strikeouts over 2.2 innings, Engstrom had two strikeouts over 1.2 innings and Mathis collected three strikeouts over 2.2 innings. Arther registered a double, an RBI, a run and two walks, Cardenas finished with a hit, a run and a steal, and Brunold produced a hit and a run. Poly previously edged visiting Providence in a league game, 4-3, as McDonald registered a triple, three runs and a steal. Arther, who had a hit, an RBI and a run, allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts over six innings while Rowley, who had a hit and a steal, picked up the win after tossing a perfect inning of relief with one strikeout. Engstrom recorded a hit and two RBIs while Thorell tallied a hit and a walk. Kim walked twice while Ferrante and Cardenas each walked once. The league runner-up Panthers (8-4 in league, 11-10 overall) will open the CIFSouthern Section Division IV playoffs today by hosting Crean Lutheran High of Irvine (19-8). If victorious, Poly would advance to the second round and meet either Nogales High of La Puente (18-2-1) or Los Altos High of Hacienda Heights (8-16) on Tuesday, May 9.

LA SALLE
The Lancers lost their regular-season finale to visiting Bishop Amat High of La Puente, 2-1, in a Del Rey League game last Wednesday. Hunter Vigil went 2-for-3, Travis Ochoa recorded a hit, a run and a steal, and Drew Ward tallied a hit and a steal. Adrian Hernandez allowed two runs on two hits and four walks with three strikeouts over six innings while David Mysza, Moses Aguirre and Chris Cardenas each had a base hit. La Salle was edged at Bishop Amat, 5-4, in a league game last Monday as Will Clougherty went 2-for-3 with a triple, a double and three runs. Vigil went 2-for-3 with an RBI while Ochoa registered a hit, two steals, an RBI and a walk. Mysza tallied a hit and an RBI, Aguirre finished with a hit and a run, and Cardenas had a base hit. Val Gomez and Morgan Sullivan each collected a pair of strikeouts over four and 2.2 innings on the mound, respectively. The Lancers recently shut out host Temple City in a nonleague game, 5-0. Clougherty went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run while Mysza registered a double, an RBI and a run. Sullivan struck out one over three scoreless innings with one walk and no hits while Hernandez racked up six strikeouts over four scoreless innings with two hits and two walks. Ochoa tallied a hit, two runs and a walk while Vigil and Aguirre each had a base hit. Cardenas walked and scored once while Jacob Escamilla and Gomez each walked once. La Salle previously picked up a convincing 9-0 nonleague victory at Roosevelt High in Los Angeles. Vigil went 3-for-3 with two steals, an RBI and a run, Clougherty went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and a steal, and Cardenas produced a double, a run and a steal. Gomez racked up five strikeouts over five scoreless innings with five hits and two walks while Sullivan and Michael Smith each pitched an inning of relief. Bennett Wood and Escamilla each recorded a hit, an RBI and a run while A-C Nieto finished with a hit and two RBIs. John Baghdassarian registered a hit and an RBI while Ward tallied a hit and a run. Mysza walked twice, scored once and stole a base, Ochoa walked and scored once, and Mikey Baghdassarian scored once. The Lancers, who finished tied for second in league with a 7-5 record (18-10 overall), will visit Flintridge Prep in La Cañada Flintridge today for its CIF-Southern Section Division III playoff opener. If victorious, La Salle would advance to the second round and meet either Beckman High of Irvine (14- 12-2) or Long Beach Poly (21-3) on Tuesday, May 9.

ST. FRANCIS
The Golden Knights lost to visiting Notre Dame High of Sherman Oaks, 5-0, in an extra- inning Mission League game to end the regular season last Thursday. Senior Grant Valentine went 2-for-4 with a double, junior Brody Ruyle registered a hit and a walk, and senior Cole Shepard, junior Holden Deitch and junior Kalani Quiroz each tallied a base hit. Senior Lucas Dixon finished with one strikeout and two walks over three hitless and scoreless innings, seniors Xander Douglas and Tate Kim each had one strikeout over an inning of relief, and senior John Glassen and junior Joe Krasnowski each pitched a scoreless inning of relief. SFHS lost at Notre Dame, 2-0, in a league game last Wednesday. Junior John Calmette and Quiroz each had a base hit, junior Lucas Favretto tallied three strikeouts over four innings on the mound and junior Aaron Hernandez had two strikeouts over a pair of hitless and scoreless innings. Dixon walked twice while junior Jordan Viramontes, sophomore Jordan Lewallen and Ruyle each walked once. The Golden Knights were shut out by visiting Notre Dame, 2-0, in a league game last Monday. Lewallen tallied a hit and a walk, Deitch, Ruyle and Calmette each had a base hit, and sophomore Caleb Thatcher walked once. Senior Liam Thatcher allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk with two strikeouts over four innings while Krasnowski pitched a scoreless inning of relief with one walk and no hits. St. Francis was recently swept by visiting Crespi High of Encino after suffering their second 4-3 loss in as many league games. Deitch went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, a run and a steal while Caleb Thatcher recorded a hit, an RBI, a run and a walk. Dixon, who had a base hit, pitched 2.2 scoreless innings with four walks and no hits, Douglas had two strikeouts over two innings on the mound, and Hernandez pitched an inning of relief without allowing a baserunner. Viramontes and sophomore Dane Shepard each tallied a base hit, Ruyle scored once, and Quiroz and Lewallen each walked once. SFHS was recently edged at Crespi, 4-3. Lewallen went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run while Deitch went 3-for-4 with a run. Ruyle went 2-for-4 with an RBI while Viramontes went 2-for-3. Favretto finished with four strikeouts over three innings on the mound while Douglas pitched a pair of scoreless and hitless innings with one walk and a strikeout. Caleb Thatcher walked and scored a run while Dane Shepard was credited with an RBI.
The Golden Knights previously lost to visiting Crespi, 7-1, as Deitch went 2-for-3. Quiroz recorded a hit and a run while junior Kal-El Holguin pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with one walk and no hits. Dane Shepard tallied a base hit while Calmette walked once. SFHS finished the campaign tied for sixth in league with a 7-14 record (10-18 overall).

First published in the May 4 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.