CLICK HERE FOR A PHOTO GALLERY OF FRIDAY’S MONROVIA-TEMPLE CITY GAME

Monrovia’s bats came alive in the seventh, that’s when Adrian Velasco connected on a 1-1 pitch for a 3-run home run to give the Wildcats a 5-2 win over Temple City in Rio Hondo League play Thursday afternoon. Monrovia’s Nick Bueno went 3 for 4 and Aaron Murphee pitched six solid innings for his fifth win of the season. Temple City’s Calvin Copping was solid as well. He struck out six and made it difficult for the Wildcats (10-1, 4-0) at the plate. “I’m going to give credit to their kid,” Monrovia co-head coach Brad Blackmore said. “He pitched great. It was not a very good offensive day for us. We had some horrendous at-bats in the first few innings. I thought we were taking good swings as the game went on, but early in the game we were clueless.” Bueno made a diving stop at second to help record the first out and Jairo Jiorge made a spectacular stop on a liner down the third base line to give Temple City (4-4, 2-1) two quick outs on what seemed like sure hits. “To make two very good plays to start the game I think gives your pitcher good confidence that he can pitch the contact all day and not let guys hit,” Blackmore said. Temple City couldn’t find what it was looking for at the plate. “The whole game the one hit we needed we didn’t get,” Temple City coach Barry Bacon said. “I told the kids, ‘We need back-to-back hits’ and we didn’t get them.”