What is it with the Peninsula baseball team? The Panthers split their first three two-game Bay League series, losing the first game each time. Last Friday, the Panthers reached down deep, played small ball, and won at Mira Costa, 5-1, to earn its third straight split and stay in the CIF playoff race, tied for third at 3-3 with West Torrance.
"You can't get swept in this league if you want to make the playoffs," Peninsula coach Dennis Gonsalves said. "And these guys have played with more heart and determination than any team I've coached."
The best teams in league are behind Peninsula. The Panthers play two against Leuzinger (1-5 in league) this week and finish with two against Redondo (1-5 in league). So getting one of the three automatic playoff berths out of the Bay League looks good for the Panthers, as long as they can manage to break tradition and record a sweep.
Meanwhile, it looks like the race for the Bay League title will come down to the final week of the regular season, when Palos Verdes and Mira Costa meet for two games.
Both teams are 5-1 in league play. Mira Costa plays rival Redondo this week and Palos Verdes plays West Torrance, which is fighting for its playoff life.
Most likely Palos Verdes and Mira Costa will be either tied for first or one game apart when they meet, which means the league title will be on the line.
"It's probably in the stars," Mira Costa coach Mike Neily said.
One more Bay League Title for Mira Costa Boys Lacrosse, and the Daily Breeze gives the team only 12 lines.
Boys and Girls Lacrosse is a growing CIF sport here in the South Bay, but if you look around, you can see hundreds of new players carrying sticks on their shoulders.
Daily Breeze, please give those boys and coaches a little more respect.
MCHS Boys LAX Alumni parent