El Rancho stunned ... and some other scores
Downey led for only 12 minutes of a two-hour baseball game, but it was
enough to bring a premature end to El Rancho's baseball season in
Thursday's CIF-SS Division III first round playoff contest.
Trailing 3-0 after six innings as Dons' right-hander Chris Villalobos'
dominant one-hit effort on his way to a 10-strikeout
performance, the Vikings took advantage of a break in focus and belted a
pair of two-run home runs in the top of the seventh to win, 4-3.
In other area baseball games Thursday;
(Division III)
California upset No. 3 seed Cajon, 4-2, behind left-hander Tyler Leibert;
La Serna rallied for a come-from-behind 6-1 victory over visiting Montebello;
La Mirada lost to Paloma Valley, 6-1;
(Division V)
Host St. Paul got big relief from Bobby Santoyo in downing Montclair Prep, 16-6;
Whittier Christian lost to Bishop Montgomery, 5-0;
Errors are part of the game! NOT making them, in key situations, is how you win. 20-8 is not too bad, and LS does have a team BA of around .300, ERA under 3.00 and fielding % of over .950, so these kids can play.
And great job to Cal, they are a solid team, but they didn't "hit and hit and hit" in their three losses to La Serna this year, did they? Or did Cal just "lose" those games, too? You La Serna hating whiners are too much.
The kids know who the best team is.
Parents can you guys just stop already its getting old.
Good job cal way to win you guys just hit and hit thats how you win ball games....
Coach gonzo crespi gave you that win you got lucky .....
BOTTOM LINE OUR PROGRAMS ARE NOT AS SOLID AS OTHER TEAMS. HOW MANY OF OUR PLAYERS ARE GOING TO DIV 1 SCHOOLS NO MENTION OF ANY RIGHT WHY IS THAT CANT THE COACHES GET REAL SCOUTS TO THE GAMES IT'S A SHAME YOU WILL HAVE PLENTY TODAY BUT NOT LOOKING AT OUR BOYS .....
Coach why are you not going to use the best and that is victor what a waste you could of used others for the montebello game but again lets see if it does not come back to bite you crespi is much better than patriot and look what happend to that game...................
Another Great season for Keppel. Great job mighty Aztecs!
I thought Coach Ron McDonald did a good job with that decision. Hey Bob u want anything from Mcdonalds? "--La Serna is clearly the better team, if you watched both teams take infield.">> I fell asleep watching La Serna take Infield/Outfield after about the first 25 minutes. Then i went home. How was the game?
Great Game the other day!! Hey whats up Bob! U want anything for breakfast?? I'm going to McDonalds. How r the blogs going?? That new chicken sandwich is a homerun!!!
no body is disputing whether the coaches at La Serna are good or not. I was just saying why it is that La Serna doesnt get any love from people in the area. Im sure they are dedicated and enthusiastic about what they do. But what coach isn't? La Serna always gets good talent because of their great little league, thats why they will always be force in the DRL not because of their coaches.
Hey delriobbfan, it is true that coaches Gonzo and George are a bit cocky. But have you ever met or been around many good high school or college coaches? That's the way most competitive coaches are. It has always been so. But guys like them, who back it up with incredible committment, amazing college level skill development practices, challenging schedules, physical conditioning programs, etc., deserve to be called "good" coaches, whether we as parents or the kids as players like it or not. As long as the kids are not being abused, I want the coach to be fair, knowledgeable, and committed. How tough or what a jerk they are is not my concern. It is about developing the kids as baseball players and the success of the team as a whole. In that regard coaches Gonzales and George deserve Coach of the Year.
And they are not that arrogant, at all. Just enthusiastic baseball guys who are loving what they are doing with this group of kids. Jocks a bit cocky? .....Who ever heard of such a thing?
In less than 12 months, they've done a pretty amazing job. Granted, La Serna has some good players and would have been good whoever was at the helm, but these coaches are truly giving the varsity kids a quality skill development program, and the lower divisions are well integrated into the overall program. Under these guys, La Serna will always be a force to deal with in DRL.
Good luck to the coaches and players against Crespi. No matter the outcome, you guys have worked very hard and deserve all the success you've had.
Gramps...what they heck are you talking about? Can you lay off the caps? We can hear you fine.
ST PAUL GROW UP HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU GUYS WON LEAGUE AT LEAST THEY HAVE DONE IT MORE TIMES THAN ANY OTHER PROGRAM AND BACK 2 BACK THATS TOUGH LA SERNA CHOKED OR CAN I SAY COACH GONZOLES THEY HAD THE CHANCE TO GO WITH HIS ACE AND HE DID NOT HE IS STILL TO YOUNG HIS DAD WOULD OF GONE WITH THE ACE NOW THERE IS A REAL COACH.......
CAL AND LA SERNA ARE BOTH GREAT PROGRAMS TONY NIETO HELL OF A COACH FOR LA SERNA HAS TO BE COACH GEORGE AND COACH LOPEZ GREAT GUYS HAVE NO FAVORITES JUST LIKE NIETO BUT UNTILL THEY BRING HOME CIF THERE IS REALLY NOTHING TO SAY CAL WENT FAR LAST YEAR LETS SEE HOW FAR LA SERNA CAN GO THEY HAVE CRESPI GREAT BASEBALL TEAM AND PROGRAM I DONT KNOW IF THEY WILL PULL IT OFF BUT GOOD LUCK......
GOOD LUCK TO TONY NIETO ON TUESDAY YOU GUYS CAN DO THE JOB PLAY HARD AND HAVE FUN......
I think La Serna is a good team but I think most people dislike them because of their two arrogant head coaches. And if you are judging teams on the way they take infield La Serna has no chance their coach cant even hit a fungo!
Lets see if you La Serna fans are singing to this same tune come Tuesday night.
that is what happens when you start building up their confidence. Interviewing them and what not. Let them play the game. Dont build their heads so high that they think they are above everyone. Two words; REALITY CHECK.
Welcome back to earth boys.
next time play for fun, not for these reporters who never played the game.
Posted by: bbfan | May 16,
maybe its because LS doesnt go out and WIN games. Watching the game yesterday against MTB, it was handed to them. MTB's weak defense set the table for LS to score all 6 runs. You say LS had ten hits, but only 2 were solid. Once again, i think soto is over rated- good fastball(but no command)and no second pitch.
bbfan-
You must not watch too much La Serna baseball to say that La Serna doesn't Win their games or that Soto is over rated.
You need to WATCH a La Serna game.
These kids have been dedicated to their team & their coaches, have taken to heart what Gonzalez & George and the other coaches have been teaching since last fall. Every game has been PLAYED not given to them by the other teams.
That just cheapens the other teams in the leagues when people say garbage like that.
Congrats to El Rancho on a great season. Tough way to lose in CIF, only one inning away from advancing, but nothing to hang your heads about. Villalobos had a great career, im sure he set the all time strike out record at ER, great accomplishment.
Now two teams left from the DRL. Cal and LS. Cal with the upset of Cajon and LS with a win over Montebello. Cal now has La Quinta meanwhile LS has power house Crespi.
LS will be in for a tough time. Crespi has 15 players signed to colleges, and 8 of those are D-1 schools, thats amazing. We'll see if those games against Los Alamitos and Patriot did them any good. A win like this can really put LS on the map or it will just be another team that Crespi beats.
Good luck fella's, keep representing.
bbfan, LS has won 19 games so far. They swept a good Cal team. They've beaten 8 teams who've made CIF this year. What are you saying? Do you think your team or any others don't have wins that involved the other team making errors? Are you saying the kid Franco was just a horrible pitcher? La Serna BEAT Montebello and their ace, who had a sub 2.00 ERA going in. They had two hits, struck out 10 times and played bad defense. La Serna is clearly the better team, if you watched both teams take infield.
La Serna is a solid team in all areas (check MaxPreps- the LS stats are totally legit), and there will always be insecure, jealous La Serna haters out there who won't give them credit when they win, and are the first to knock them when they lose. You bbfan are just another example. No matter; it is about the kids, and they just play.
DelRioHB, Murray is and always has been a La Serna homer!!! It is just as bad in football!
delrioHB,
maybe its because LS doesnt go out and WIN games. Watching the game yesterday against MTB, it was handed to them. MTB's weak defense set the table for LS to score all 6 runs. You say LS had ten hits, but only 2 were solid. Once again, i think soto is over rated- good fastball(but no command)and no second pitch.
St. Paul beat Montclair Prep in a Div V game....I thought they compete against Div I teams??
My heart goes out to a great El Rancho team and a great pitcher in Villalobos. You can hold your heads high. Good job this year.
Murray, what is it with the Daily News and its coverage of La Serna baseball? Both times you covered the LS-Cal game, the entire article was written from the perspective of how Cal lost it and blew opportunities, even though La Serna had as many or more hits and also blew opportunities.
Then, your "correspondent" for the LS-Montebello game yesterday, Rudy Ramos, writes the article from the same perspective- basically 3/4 of the article is about how Montebello blew it. LS did capitalize on some errors (as good teams do- this is part of the game!), but they had 10 hits, not 6 (learn to keep score, Rudy), and LS pitchers shut Montebello down with 2 hits. But no mention of the great job Casey Serna did in relief of Victor Soto to pick up the win.
News flash: Yes, La Serna is on a hill by a golf course, but the vast majority of the families that attend live below Whittier Blvd and are everyday working folks- cops, governement workers, small business owners, electricians, etc. just like the families of Cal, Whittier and other area schools. This class envy stuff is really pathetic, especially when it infects a supposedly unbiased organization like a newspaper.
LS has compiled a 19-8 record by winning games; or are all 19 wins just other teams' losses in the perspective of the WDN?
well looks like the soft preseason schedule got the best of what was the first place team of the mighty del rio league, nice job where are all the great comments about ER now, well if you really like to watch good hs baseball take a drive down the road make a right on greenleaf and stop and watch SP