Baseball:

It isn’t just the fact that South Hills and Charter Oak are both SGV area programs that makes Tuesday’s showdown in the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs special.

It’s just as much the knowledge that the Huskies and Chargers used to duke it out for Hacienda League supremacy as recently as 2020 that adds so much to this contest.

In their first-round playoff games on Friday, South Hills shut out visiting Great Oak, 6-0, behind a one-hitter from Sterling Patick.

And for their part, COHS left Irvine with an 11-5 victory at Woodbridge.

Athen Malone went five scoreless, and at the plate, he doubled, homered and drove in three runs.

Statistically, South Hills and Charter Oak match up well against the other.

The Chargers have a slight offensive advantage, including team batting average (.305-.285) and total hits (213-195), but the Huskies have scored 27 more runs (162-135) than COHS.

South Hills has a clear statistical edge when it comes to pitching.

The Huskies boast an insane 1.20 team ERA, as compared to 2.53 for the Chargers.

And they’ve surrendered 32 less runs (47-79) in 2023.

Baseball coaches don’t like laying out their cards on the table, but conventional wisdom would point to a second-round start for Joseph Moreno, especially considering the fact that Patick went the distance and threw 99 pitches on Friday.

Moreno is 5-3, with a 1.88 ERA.

He’s issued 32 walks and struck out 49 batters in 41 innings.

Daniel Camou (2-1, 0.36 ERA, eight walks & 29 strikeouts in 19 2/3 IP) is also available for the Huskies.

The offensive star in Tuesday’s playoff game is clearly Charter Oak’s Diego Ortiz.

His .512 batting average is exactly 150 points higher than Noah Malone (.362), who leads the SHHS offense.

And Ortiz has 43 hits, which is 14 more than South Hills junior Matt Moreno.

Chris Gonzalez (.391, 25 hits, nine runs, 10 RBIs, two doubles & one triple), Anthony Vasquez (.329, 27 hits, 15 runs, 16 RBIs & 11 doubles) Josiah Martinez (.293, 17 hits, 10 runs, four RBIs & two doubles), Samuel Morales (.277, 18 hits, 16 runs, six RBIs, one double & one triple) and Julian Salmon (.283, 13 hits, 10 runs, five RBIs & three doubles) have all played key roles for the Chargers offense.

As far as COHS goes, and this is just a guess, Anthony Vasquez (7-1, 2.10 ERA, 17 walks, 69 strikeouts in 56 2/3 IP) might get his second start in four days.

Vasquez only went two-plus innings on Friday, and he surrendered five runs on five hits before being replaced by Athen Malone.

He issued one walk, struck out a pair and threw 46 pitches.

Chris Gonzalez (3-1, 2.30 ERA, three walks, 18 strikeouts in 21 2/3 IP) will also be ready if Elias Chavez, who just secured victory No. 100 at Charter Oak, calls his number.

The Huskies have many contributors.

And it starts with Noah Malone.

Malone leads South Hills with a .362 batting average.

Malone has 21 hits, 12 runs, 20 RBIs, three doubles & two home runs.

Matt Moreno (.345, 29 hits, 22 runs, 18 RBIs, six doubles, one triple & one HR), Steven Jimenez (.338, 24 hits, 19 runs, 17 RBIs, six doubles, one triple & three HR’s), Marcos Rosales (.318, 27 hits, 29 runs, 13 RBIs, eight doubles, two triples & two HR’s) and Paul Vazquez (.294, 25 hits, 20 runs, 25 RBIs, seven doubles & four HR’s) are invaluable pieces to a program that has won six Hacienda League titles in the last seven years.

The victor earns a spot in Friday’s D-2 quarterfinal against the West Ranch-Tesoro winner.

By the Numbers:
Records: SH (21-6); CO (16-10)
League Finish: SH (Hacienda champs); CO (second in VVL)
Runs Scored: SH (162); CO (135)
Runs Allowed: SH (47); CO (79)
Team ERA: SH (1.20); CO (2.53)
Most Wins: SH (Sterling Patick, 9); CO (Anthony Vasquez, 7)
Team Batting Average: SH (.285); CO (.305)
Highest Batting Average: SH (Noah Malone, .362); CO (Diego Ortiz, .512)
Most Hits: SH (Matt Moreno, 29); CO (Diego Ortiz, 47)
Most RBIs: SH (Paul Vazquez, 25); CO (Diego Ortiz, 22)
Team HR’s: SH (12); CO (3)
South Hills Road Record: 4-1
Charter Oak’s Home Record: 7-4
Current Streak: SH (won four); CO (won one)

South Hills Pitching Leaders:
Sterling Patick: (9-1, 1.50 ERA, 14 walks, 99 strikeouts in 64 2/3 IP)
Joseph Moreno: (5-3, 1.88 ERA, 32 walks, 49 strikeouts in 41 IP)
Daniel Camou (2-1, 0.36 ERA, eight walks, 29 strikeouts in 19 2/3 IP)

Charter Oak’s Pitching Leaders:
Anthony Vasquez (7-1, 2.10 ERA, 17 walks, 69 strikeouts in 56 2/3 IP)
Athen Malone (4-4, 2.29 ERA, 16 walks, 44 strikeouts in 49 IP)
Chris Gonzalez (3-1, 2.30 ERA, three walks, 18 strikeouts in 21 2/3 IP)

South Hills Batting Leaders:
Noah Malone (.362, 21 hits, 12 runs, 20 RBIs, three doubles & two HR)
Matt Moreno (.345, 29 hits, 22 runs, 18 RBIs, six doubles, one triple & one HR)
Steven Jimenez (.338, 24 hits, 19 runs, 17 RBIs, six doubles, one triple & three HR’s)
Marcos Rosales (.318, 27 hits, 29 runs, 13 RBIs, eight doubles, two triples & two HR’s)
Paul Vazquez (.294, 25 hits, 20 runs, 25 RBIs, seven doubles & four HR’s)

Charter Oak’s Batting Leaders:
Diego Ortiz (.512, 43 hits, 16 runs, 22 RBIs & five doubles)
Chris Gonzalez (.391, 25 hits, nine runs, 10 RBIs, two doubles & one triple)
Anthony Vasquez (.329, 27 hits, 15 runs, 16 RBIs & 11 doubles)
Josiah Martinez (.293, 17 hits, 10 runs, four RBIs & two doubles)
Samuel Morales (.277, 18 hits, 16 runs, six RBIs, one double & one triple)
Julian Salmon (.283, 13 hits, 10 runs, five RBIs & three doubles)

Tuesday’s CIF-SS Division 2 Schedule:
Aquinas at Capistrano Valley Christian
Quartz Hill at Ocean View
Simi Valley at Crespi
Mater Dei at Santiago (Corona)
Gahr at Fullerton
Calabasas at Vista Murrieta
Tesoro at West Ranch
South Hills at Charter Oak