Temple City’s run ends with championship game loss to Hemet …

The Temple City High School baseball team’s improbable postseason run didn’t have the storybook ending the Rams were hoping for.

Hemet pitchers Cameron Leonard and Jerald Gaskin coupled with some untimely errors made sure of that.

Scoring chances for what was a hot a Temple City offense were limited and Hemet took advantage of four Rams errors to post a 2-0 win in the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 championship on Saturday night at UC Riverside.

“I’m so proud of what they accomplished,” Temple City head coach Rob Nelson said. “We weren’t supposed to be here. There’s teams sitting at home tonight who were supposed to be here. This is why you play the game.”

It was hard for Nelson to be disappointed in the loss considering that Temple City (18-10) was wildcard team at the outset of the playoffs after finishing third in the Rio Hondo League this season.

Facebook Twitter Plusone Reddit Tumblr Email
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Reply

Flintridge Prep outlasts St. Anthony to win Div. 6 championship

Flintridge Prep’s baseball team ended a crazy, historic season for St. Anthony High in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 final on Saturday at UC Riverside while making some history of its own.

In the fourth extra-inning playoff game this year for St. Anthony, the Rebels (17-12) looked more at home in the eighth inning, where they scored twice and held off a Saints rally to win the first CIF baseball championship in school history, 3-2, in their first finals appearance since 1951.

Flintridge Prep got a stellar performance from starting pitcher Richard Pan, who scattered four hits over five innings. He also capped a three-hit day by driving in the eventual game-winning run with sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. Leadoff hitter Danny Chiarodit added two hits.

Both teams created plenty of chances to win, combining to strand 17 runners, but clutch pitching from Pan and St. Anthony starter Grant Grainger won out.

St. Anthony took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Grainger led off with a walk and scored on fellow senior Nathan Marquez’s RBI single up the middle. Flintridge Prep evened the score in the second inning without a hit thanks to a two-base error and three consecutive walks.

Grainger settled down after that and scattered seven hits in 5 1/3 innings work while Pan only gave up four hits in five innings. St. Anthony senior Coby Palmares came on in the sixth inning and got out of a jam with a pickoff at second base. Flintridge Prep junior Robbie Leslie also walked a tight rope in the latter innings, but when he took the mound in the eighth inning he did so with the Rebels’ first lead of the day.

“It was frustrating,” Flintridge Prep head coach head coach Guillermo Gonzalez said of failing to score between the second and eighth innings. “We were hitting the ball hard all game so we kept saying it was going to break our way, and it finally did. This whole journey with this team has been amazing.”

Facebook Twitter Plusone Reddit Tumblr Email

How sweep it is! Star-News boys and girls post wins in Tribune/Star-News All-Star Classic …

MUST-SEE PHOTO GALLERY FROM ALL-STAR CLASSIC

Renaissance’s Marquis Mosley was simply dazzling. The Cal-Baptist bound guard had his own 7-0 run in the second half as the Star-News built up at 17-point lead before hanging on for a 109-102 victory. South Pasadena’s Joey Toyama hit two big 3-pointers down the stretch, and St. Francis’ Michael Allen and Cantwell Gligorije Rakocevik also hit 3s to blunt the Tribune rally.

Maranatha’s Channon Fluker capped a stellar prep career by earning MVP of the girls game. She was simply dominant, as was the Star-News defense in a 64-47 win. The Star-News led by nearly 30 points twice in the second half.

Facebook Twitter Plusone Reddit Tumblr Email