By Mario Aguirre
Correspondent

TEMPLE CITY – The Arcadia High School baseball team put together another impressive pitching performance, complemented by a solid defense, to defeat Temple City 5-1 in Saturday’s Arcadia Elks Tournament championship game.

The Apaches won their fifth consecutive game to start the preseason. They continued to dominate defensively and allowed only their second run in five tournament games.

Arcadia also demonstrated its full offensive arsenal by scoring off a double, stolen base and home run and capitalizing on a costly Temple City mishap to score two more runs.

“We just didn’t make a couple plays we needed to make,” Rams coach Barry Bacon said. “I told the kids if we play better defense it gives us a better shot in this game.”

The Rams had the bases loaded in the sixth inning but got nothing out of it.

“We’ve been very solid defensively,” Arcadia coach Nick Lemas said. “Our pitching and our defensive, we could compete with anyone when it comes to that. And then hitting, we definitely have guys who can get it done.

“So we’re a solid club in all three facets of the game.”

Few people outside the Temple City fan base believed the Rams would have experienced a different outcome against Arcadia, ranked No. 1 in preseason polls by the Star-News. The Apaches have shut out three of their first five opponents, including a 21-0 drubbing of Gabrielino to start the tournament.

Bacon, who doesn’t care much for moral victories, still told his team Saturday’s game was “a good loss for us.”

Arcadia pitcher Garret Tuck gave up seven hits and just one run.

“Hats off to Tuck. Absolutely dominant on the mound,” Bacon said.

The Rams also were unable to take advantage of several scoring opportunities. The Apaches, on the other hand, made certain they made the most of Temple City errors.

A costly one came in the fourth inning when a misplay on a hit by Haram Park allowed two Apaches to score.

“You do that (error) in practice, you’re like, `Oh whatever,’ ” Bacon said. “But it cost us (two) runs in the game.”

When it appeared Arcadia had the game all but won, it managed to score in impressive fashion.

With a sense of comfort in gambling on a high-risk play, Arcadia’s David Huntziner stole home in the fifth inning as Temple City pitcher Conner Cullen focused on Bryce Rutherford in the batter’s box.

The play left Cullen somewhat baffled and the Apaches fans cheering.

“We’ve stolen quite a few bases in this tournament,” Lemas said. “And hopefully we do it the rest of the season.”