By Keith Lair, Staff Writer

MONROVIA – The South Pasadena High School baseball team got pitcher Tony Veiller back at the right time.

The senior right-hander had been unable to pitch because of an injured finger until last week.

On Wednesday, he showed he was back at full strength by throwing a complete game and leading the visiting Tigers to a 6-1 victory over Monrovia in Rio Hondo League play.

“The coaching staff got together and was hoping we could keep things close until he got back on the mound,” South Pasadena coach Tony Chevrier said. “He threw strikes and gave us the opportunity to win.”

The win ended a 20-plus game losing streak to the Wildcats and propelled the Tigers into second place, a game ahead of the Wildcats.

“It’s like climbing a mountain,” Veiller said of finally beating the Wildcats. “This is the first time we’ve ever done this.”

Veiller was nowhere close to being perfect, but he was good enough to let his defense do the work. He scattered three hits and hit a batter. In his previous outing, a nonleague win over Hoover, he pitched 3 2/3 innings.

The win put a serious dent in the Wildcats’ bid to win their sixth consecutive league title. Monrovia has lost seven consecutive games, three in league, and is three games behind first-place Temple City with seven games to play.

Monrovia committed four errors and had two base-running mistakes.

The Tigers’ Conor Bednarski singled in the second and went to third on Corey Richard’s single. Keaton Leach hit a blooper to left field which Reed Miller tried to dive to get. The ball popped out of his mitt and Bednarski scored.

A two-base error and consecutive fly balls to center field made it 2-0 in the fourth. A fielder’s choice after a pair of singles made it 3-1 in the fifth.

South Pasadena broke it open in the sixth with three runs off three pitchers.