Baseball:
Zach Menlove turned in one of the most dominating pitching performances in CIF-SS baseball history.
Menlove led the Wildcats to a 6-1 victory at Pasadena Poly in the first round of the Division 5 playoffs.
He went the distance and allowed one run on two hits.
Menlove didn’t issue a walk and struck out 19 Poly batters.
Seventy-one of his 98 pitches went for strikes.
Menlove struck out 10 separate Panthers at least once, and he got eight on strikes twice or more.
Caiden Kennedy’s solo shot in the bottom of the sixth accounted for the Panthers lone run.
Sean Asperger’s single was the other Poly base hit on Friday.
Elliott Rowley got the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits over five innings.
Rowley issued five walks and fanned three MHS batters.
Noah Ellison went 2-for-3, including a grand slam in the top of the fourth to give MHS a 5-0 lead.
Ellison was also hit by pitch and stole a base.
Joshua Griffiths walked and hit a solo HR
Julian Fernandez walked twice and scored.
Tristan Oandasan drew a pair of walks and singled.
Noah Hyatt and Silas Brusseau scored one run apiece for the Wildcats.
Up next: Monrovia will host Calvary Chapel on Tuesday.
The Eagles (14-12) picked up a 6-2 road win over Saugus.
Quotable:
Monrovia coach, Brad Blackmore: “We’re very proud of our boys and their effort today. We had some big efforts today at the plate, especially Noah Ellison. But the key was Zach Menlove. A little shaky in the first inning, and he got out of it. He threw one of the best games in my 34 years as coach. I’m so proud of him. A senior stepping up when we needed him most.”
Monrovia pitcher, Zach Menlove: “My whole mindset was this could be my last game and I wanted to make the most of it. I started to feel like I had my good stuff after two consecutive innings where I struck out the side. I knew I was feeling good and I just wanted to continue to throw strikes. We talked about the field at Poly, and it was different, but I kept the same focus. When Noah hit the grand slam, I was super happy for him and the whole team. Towards the end of the season, we clicked as a team and our chemistry was key. We enjoy each other’s company.”
Box Score:
M: 1-0-0-4-0-0-1-(6)
P: 0-0-0-0-0-1-0-(1)
Win: Zach Menlove
Loss: Elliott Rowley
HR: Joshua Griffiths (M), Noah Ellison (M); Caiden Kennedy (P)
Records: Monrovia (17-10); Poly (17-7)
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