Baseball

Crespi Scores Four Runs in Bottom of Seventh to Stun South Hills, 6-5, in Saturday’s CIF-SS Division 2 Title Game

May 21 2023 05:20:56

Photos by Conrad Hunziker III

Baseball:

South Hills was three outs away from a CIF-SS Division 2 championship on Saturday afternoon.

When the Huskies trotted out of the first-base dugout at Blair Field for the last time, they took a 5-2 lead over Crespi with them.

The Celts, however, would score four times in the bottom of the seventh, and claimed a stunning 6-5 victory.

Falling short in a CIF title game is always unpleasant to say the least, but it was the way in which South Hills lost that will sting for quite some time.

With the game tied at 5-5 in the bottom of seventh, and with two outs, Crespi got the walk-off win, as a runner scored from second on an errant throw to first base.

Sterling Patick, who in this writer’s opinion is the SGV area’s MVP, pitched well enough to win.

He went six-plus innings before reaching the maximum 110 pitch count, and Patick allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits.

Patick walked four and registered nine strikeouts.

Joseph Moreno was stuck with the loss after allowing four runs on three hits and a walk in 1/3 of an inning.

Matt Moreno replaced Joseph Moreno and he registered a strikeout before the walk-off error ended the Huskies title hopes.

To add insult to the proverbial injury, South Hills had a 5-0 advantage in extra-base hits.

Diego Velasquez went 2-for-4 for Crespi, and that included a run and one RBI.

Christopher Arce walked three times, singled and scored.

Ethan Kodama had a single and three RBIs.

Joshua Rodriguez singled and scored.

Landon Hodge walked and scored.

South Hills scored four runs in the top of the first inning off Isaiah Magdaleno on four hits.

Magdaleno went three innings, walked two and fanned four Huskies.

Nicholas Kougher surrendered one run on three hits and a walk over 1 1/3 innings.

And Ty Walton went 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, didn’t issue a walk and struck out three.

Matt Moreno singled to open the game, while Paul Vazquez and Marcos Rosales walked.

Noah Malone gave the Huskies a massive shot in the arm after a three-run double gave South Hills a 3-0 lead.

Malone would score on an error before Crespi got out of the inning.

The Huskies ballooned their advantage to 5-0 when Matt Moreno doubled in the fourth, and he came home on a Marcos Rosales double.

The first four batters in the SHHS lineup went a combined 6-for-12, with four walks, four doubles, five runs and four RBIs.

The rest of the Huskies went 2-for-17.

Moreno went 2-for-4 with two runs.

Vazquez walked twice, doubled and scored.

Rosales walked, singled, doubled, scored and had one RBI.

Malone walked to go with his three-run double.

Malaki Pelayo doubled and Dom Prieto singled.

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Box Score:
SH: 4-0-0-1-0-0-0-(5)
C: 0-0-0-2-0-0-4-(6)

Win: Tyler Walton
Loss: Joseph Moreno

2B: Malaki Pelayo (SH), Nathan Malone (SH), Paul Vazquez (SH), Marcos Rosales (SH), Matt Moreno (SH)

Records: South Hills (24-7); Crespi (21-7-3)

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