Crespi (Encino, Calif.) coach Scott Muckey wasn’t overly concerned when his team fell behind 3-2 to Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.) in the second round of the Diamond Sports National Classic on Tuesday at Cal State Fullerton, but he wasn't exactly excited by the situation either.
“We tend to be a streaky team,” Muckey said. “In our first game we scored seven runs in the first inning and that’s something we do a lot. But of course you’re never comfortable when you are behind.”
Fortunately for Muckey and the Celts, the right player came to the plate to lead a Crespi comeback. After Michael Hubbard led off the inning by reaching base on an error, heavy-hitting Ryon Healy unleashed a triple to deep right field, scoring Hubbard with the tying run.
The three-bagger was the second big hit of the game for Healy, who doubled and scored on a Kevin Williams double in the first inning.
Kevin Williams drove in Ryon Healy for the second time in the game with a flyball to centerfield that was deep enough to score Healy from third for the go-ahead run. The Celts still needed to get three outs in the bottom of the seventh against a team that rallied in the bottom of the seventh the day before to defeat Cottonwood.
There would be no rally this time, though, as Crespi relief pitcher Josh Morgan induced a game-ending double play. The 4-3 Crespi win was the fifth one-run ballgame of the day at the National Classic. One year after teams knocked the ball out of the park on a regular basis in the tournament, the use of wooden bats has toned down the offensive production and changed strategies for some teams.
“You definitely notice that shot to the gap just doesn’t get there as fast as it does with a metal bat,” said Muckey. “I think one of the worries in a tournament like this is if you will be able to have enough pitching, but with the wood bats, it takes away some of that worry.”
Muckey’s starter, John Kearns, lasted six innings despite trailing most of the game. He gave up three runs, but allowed only two hits during his stint on the mound.
“He had a little trouble getting the pitch he needed when he got ahead in the count and he ended up walking some guys early in the game,” said Muckey. “But he hung in there and kept at it and he’s good at that.”
Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.) scored one run in each of the second, third and fourth innings with only a pair of hits. Five walks, three stolen bases and error and a sacrifice fly helped contribute to the Aztecs’ scoring opportunities.
Crespi advances to play Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) in one of today’s semifinals at 1 p.m. at El Dorado High School. The Lancers topped Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, Ariz.) 5-4 in a second-round matchup Esperanza tangles with Salpointe Catholic in a consolation contest.
In the other semifinal, host El Dorado (Placentia, Calif.) takes on Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) at 7 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton.
Edison 10, Bishop Amat 8
After opening the day with a 5-0 win over Palm Desert (Calif.) in a game postponed from Monday due to rain, the Edison Chargers used a huge fifth inning to hand Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.) just its second loss of the season with a 10-8 victory Tuesday at El Dorado High School.
Trailing 5-0, Edison rallied for 10 runs on seven hits to grab a 10-5 lead. Jimmy Madden, Jake Ayer, Kyle Jones and Johnathan Brooks all had doubles in the rally while Tanner Phillips, Jon Torres an Eric Snyder all singled. Bishop Amat scattered their runs over four innings, posting two runs on three Edison errors in the first inning and three more in the second on a two-run homer by Jay Andreson and an RBI single by Rio Ruiz.
After Edison rallied for the lead, the Lancers scored a single run in the fifth on an RBI double by Ryan Serrato. Two more runs came in the sixth on a fielder’s choice and an RBI single by Adrian Franco. Bishop Amat put the tying runs on base in the bottom of the seventh, but Phillips induced a game-ending double play to put the Chargers into the semifinals.
Nic Hanson got the win, going five and a third innings and giving up six runs on eight hits with four strikeouts.
El Dorado 5, Palos Verdes Peninsula 4
One day after rallying in the bottom of the eighth for a first-round win, El Dorado had to hold off a late rally by Palos Verdes Peninsula (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.) to advance to the semifinals.
The Golden Hawks built a 5-0 lead with single runs in the second and sixth innings and a three-run rally in the third. However the Panthers sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the seventh and scored four runs before freshman pitcher Chris Rivera entered the game an induced a bases-loaded groundout back to the mound to end the game.
Drew Luther and Jon Suda each had an RBI single in the third inning while Adam Velez belted an RBI triple. Brennan Fulkerson had an RBI single in the sixth frame and Dylan Moore drove in a run with a sacrifice bunt in the second. In other games, Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, Ariz.) defeated South Hills (West Covina, Calif.) 4-1 in a postponed game played early Tuesday morning. South Hills then fell to West Ranch 2-1 later in the day while Salpointe Catholic lost 5-4 to Lutheran.
Other consolation bracket games found Palm Desert knocking off Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 5-3, IMG Academies (Bradenton, Fla.) topped Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 3-2 and Marin Catholic (Kentfield, Calif.) beat Cottonwood (Salt Lake City, Utah) 7-2.
