Baseball:
There isn’t a greater example of just how difficult the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs are than two programs ranked in the top 35 in California having to meet up in the first round of the playoffs.
But that was the case in Rancho Cucamonga.
No. 27 Cypress visited No. 34 Los Osos.
And it was the Baseline League champion Grizzlies who secured a 7-5 victory.
LOHS led 7-2 before CHS scored three unearned runs in the top of the seventh.
Gavin Loeb Keene went the first three innings, and he allowed a pair of runs on four hits.
He walked two and fanned a pair of Centurions.
Jordan Mejico provided 3 1/3 innings in relief, and he was charged with three unearned runs on four hits.
Mejico issued a pair of walks and registered two strikeouts.
Zenen Pena got the final two outs to earn the save.
Gary Hennessy went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
Garret Rodriguez walked and had a pair of singles.
John Short walked, singled, scored and drove in one.
Greg Prophet singled and scored.
Spencer Kwon walked and scored.
Tyler Vladic went 2-for-4 with a run and one RBI.
Connor Artaserse walked and singled.
Noah Johnson had an RBI and run scored.
Tate Belfanti was charged with three unearned runs on two hits over two innings.
Belfanti walked one and struck out a pair of Grizzlies.
LOHS scored at least one run off all four Cypress pitchers.
Drew Cromwell went 2-for-3 including a two-run single in the bottom of the second to give LOHS a 2-0 lead.
Roberto Topete followed with an RBI single, and Los Osos had a 3-0 advantage.
Evan Jones had a walk, run, RBI single and an RBI double.
Hunter Meyer went 2-for-4 with a run, double and an RBI single.
Wyatt Mohler walked, singled and scored.
Josh Chairez walked, scored and drove in a run on a sac fly.
Justin Yeutter walked and scored.
Up next: The Grizzlies will travel to Corona on Tuesday to face the state’s top ranked team.
The Panthers (26-2) pitching staff has surrendered just 36 runs all season.
Quotable:
Los Osos coach, Travis Kelly: “Twenty years ago, Cypress beat us in the semifinal game at Los Osos, and it was a highly contentious with ejections. I was the pitching and I got the loss. We led 7-2 going into the seventh, but like all John Webber teams, they don’t give up. They are well coaches, they are grinders and they fight till the last out. We wanted Gavin to come out and do what he did. He wasn’t the sharpest, but he gave us what we needed. The magic man, Mejico, came out of the bullpen, and he’s done everything right for us. He’s super underrated. The kid throws strikes. Pena gave up a bloop hit and then he shut them down.
It was huge to get out to a comfortable lead, especially against a program that is one of the southern section’s most successful. Drew Cromwell answered the call with a two-run single, and Evan Jones was huge at the plate with two hits and two big RBIs. Reagan had a big sac bunt, Chairez had a sac fly to center. We are embracing the opportunity to play Corona again. It’s a blessing. We felt like we competed the first time. We’re going to go in loose and play Corona to the best of our ability for seven innings. My coach at Cal State Fullerton, George Horton, always told us that we were playing with house money, and that’s how we’re looking at it.”
Box Score:
C: 0-0-1-1-0-0-3-(5)
L: 0-3-1-0-1-2-x-(7)
Win: Gavin Loeb Keene
Loss: Tate Belfanti
Save: Zenen Pena
2B: Gary Hennessy (C); Hunter Meyer (LO), Evan Jones (LO)
Records: Cypress (18-11); Los Osos (20-8)
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