California High baseball semifinal vs Serrano High (Apple Valley) June 2, 2015. (Photo by Leo Jarzomb/Whittier Daily News)

By Stephen Ramirez
steve.ramirez@langnews.com
@SteveRRamirez on Twitter

WHITTIER >> Serrano High School’s dream season will get a chance at a Cinderella ending.Daniel Brodie had two hits and knocked in the go-ahead run to highlight a four-run fifth inning as the Diamondbacks advanced to the CIF-Southern Section baseball championships for the first time in decade with a 4-1 victory over host California in a Division 4 semifinal on Friday.Pitchers Saxon Andross and R.J. Peace combined on six-hitter and 11 strikeouts for Serrano, which improved to 22-7 and advanced to face South Torrance in Saturday’s title game at San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino. The CIF office will announce the time today.Anthony Hernandez and Alex Gonzalez had RBIs for top-seeded California, which finished 26-6. It was the second consecutive trip to the semifinals for the Condors.Serrano, trailing 1-0, finally got to Condors starter Jake Johnston in fifth. Vinnie Vildosola tied it at 1 with a double before Brodie singled for the 2-1 lead. Austin Taylor then walked with the bases loaded to make it 3-1 before Andross hit a RBI ground out for a 4-1 lead.California, which rallied for a 4-1 victory over San Gorgonio in the quarterfinals last Friday, didn’t quit. The Condors, getting an error, walk and bunt single, cut it to 4-2 in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk to Gonzalez.But Peace, who replaced Andross in the inning, induced Jake Carmichael to ground out to end the threat.California then put runners on first and second with one out in the seventh following singles by Eric Sotelo and Mike Elliott. But Peace struck out Daniel Alvarez and Hernandez to end the game.

Cal coach Tony Nieto: “We fought to the end. We were knocking on the door. What else can you ask for from a championship-caliber team, which is to go down swinging, which is what we did. We were one hit away in the sixth inning and one away in the seventh inning. If we get it, we’re doing the dog pile and going to San Bernardino. But that’s baseball. We (missed on) our opportunities.”
SOFTBALL
LA SERNA 1, BISHOP AMAT 0Liz Brautigam had a RBI single in the fourth and Jamie Wren shut out the Bishop Amat to La Serna back into the Division 3 title game. La Serna lost to St. Paul in the championship game last season.