On a separate note, the L.A. Times reports that with Dodger and Angel Stadium unavailable, the Southern Section baseball finals for its top divisions will be held at the Lake Elsinore Storm, an 8,000-seat facility used by the San Diego Padres’ Class-A team, on June 4 and 5. The other division finals will take place at UC Riverside.

Bishop Amat moved into the semifinals of the Newport Elks tournament with a 7-2 win at Mater Dei on Monday, which comes after Elks victories over Palm Desert and Corona Santiago. Bernardo Zavala, who we failed to mention in our preview, had three homers and five RBIs. When you’re getting production from new names to go with the line-up they already have, that’s scary. Brandon McNitt struck out seven in going the distance, sending the Lancers to Wednesday’s semifinal against Capistrano Valley, the reigning Division I champions, at Capistrano Valley High at 3:15 p.m, and we’re hearing lefty Paul Paez will get the nod. BTW, Capo Valley crushed St. Paul 16-2 and also is 3-0. Coach, what do you think?
“Its’ Always nice to start out on the right foot,” Lancers coach Andy Nieto said. “Mater Dei is Mater Dei, it’s not one of their great teams, but they have a lot of tradition and are always good.
“I still don’t think our guys are operating on full cylinders, but it’s also nice to have others step up (Zavala) so you’re not counting on the same faces all the time. It wasn’t just the three home runs, it’s how hard he’s hitting the ball. Offensively, this team has a chance to compete, we just have to keep working.”