By Joe Snyder
El Camino College’s baseball team moved its overall record to 31-6 after sweeping East Los Angeles College in a three-game South Coast Conference series last week.
The Warriors, who are 17-4 in conference play, began the series on April 14 with a 15-5 win over the host Huskies. Coming home, El Camino and East L.A. were locked in a pitching duo between the Warriors’ and former Serra High standout Adrian Pineda and the Huskies’ Daniel Juarez. In a nine-inning game that lasted just under two hours, it was Pineda and ECC that came out on top with a 3-1 victory. On Saturday, the Warriors returned to East L.A. College and completed the sweep with an 8-5 win.
Pineda pitched a complete game three-hitter, striking out nine batters.
“It was a tight game,” El Camino assistant coach Marvin Florks, to head mentor Grant Palmer, said. “Pineda took us to the promise land.”
With his win, Pineda, a sophomore, improved to 9-2. His win just came after he committed to playing baseball at Cal State Long Beach earlier last week.
The difference in the Warriors’ win was two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. The first run came on a run-scoring double from Nathan Rivera. Slater Nunez hit a sacrifice fly to score ECC’s second run of the inning.
Juarez allowed two runs on three hits to the Warriors in 4 2/3 innings.
On April 14, El Camino used a balanced offensive attack behind former Torrance High standout Nunez who went 2-for-5 with three runs batted in and three runs scored, including a home run. Caden Lewis and Dylan Garcia also each drove in three runs.
Last Saturday, Nunez went 3-for-4 with one run. Rivera was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs, and former North Torrance High player Kai Nagashima went 2-for-5 with one RBI and one run.
Nunez is a sophomore who committed to Big 10 college University of Washington.
El Camino is currently ranked sixth in California and seeks to go far in the playoffs, which begin next week.
The Warriors close out the conference with three games against Pasadena City College this week. After hosting the Lancers on Tuesday, ECC is at Pasadena today and at home Friday, both games beginning at 2 p.m.
_________________________
Serra tracksters, Obimgba excel last week at Mt. SAC Relays
Serra High’s boys’ and girls’ track and field teams are showing their progress after strong showings at last Friday and Saturday’s Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, but Torrance High sensational sprinter Nicolas Obimgba showed why he is among the top prep sprinters in the United States.
Obimgba dominated both the 100- and 200-meter dashes with wins at 10.24 and a Mt. SAC meet record of 20.66 seconds in the 200. As a junior last season, Obimgba recorded a personal best time of 10.20 in the 100 at the CIF-State Prelims at Buchanan High in Clovis and ended up finishing second in the state finals. He’ll be seeking the state title this season and, possibly, enter the Nike National Championships at University of Oregon in June in attempt to win there.
In the same 200 elite race with Obimgba, Serra’s Deon Edwards, who ran next to Obimgba (lane 8) in lane 9, finished fourth in the race clocking 21.37.
Edwards also anchored the Cavaliers’ 4×100-meter relay team to a win in the seeded division in 41.32. Other runners included Wesley Ace, Lawson Griggs-Andrew and Landon Thomas. Ace ran the prestigious invitational 100, along with Obimgba, where he placed fifth timing 10.53, just .02 of a second shy of his personal best of 10.51 he did in the Redondo Nike Invitational on March 14.
Serra’s 4×200-meter relay team of Griggs-Andrews, Thomas, Ace and Edwards took second, behind what probably is the United States’ top sprinting team in Anaheim Servite, in 1:25.72. The Friars, who had their 4×100 team break the national record clocking 39.70 a week earlier at the Arcadia Invitational, won the race at 1:23.45. Servite also won the 4×100 clocking 39.94.
Despite finishing last in the invitational 400, Thomas recorded a very good time of 48.67.
For the girls, Serra’s 4×400 relay team finished fourth in the rated division in 48.4. Runners were Avante Davis, Khloe Romero, Mecca Muhammed and Najah Kelly. The same four ran in the 4×200 which finished sixth in the seeded division timing 1:42.32.
The Mt. SAC Relays was a final tune-up for the Cavaliers as they begin their Del Rey League meets at Serra High. Their prelims were Wednesday with the championships next Wednesday starting at 3 p.m.
In the South Bay Track and Field Championships Saturday at West Torrance High, North Torrance’s boys had a strong showing as its team placed second with 90 points. Redondo won the meet with 126. South Torrance was third at 63.
The Saxon sprinters, behind Faiz Ogun, had good success and they did with a one-two finish from Faiz (10.71) and Kaidyn Spires (10.73). Spires also took second in the 200 timing 21.89.
North shot putter Elijah Taueetia won the event with a toss of 49 feet, seven inches and was second in the discus at 158-10. The discus was won by Redondo’s Bo Ausmus who broke a meet record with a toss of 187-5, breaking the previous record of 184-5 set in 2018 by Santa Monica’s Joe Daou. Ausmus, who has a personal best of 63-4 in the shot put, did not enter that event.
South was led by Aiden Miller who won the 1,600 in 4:17.48 and its 4×400 relay win clocking 3:28.99.
For the girls, Bishop Montgomery’s Aubrey Walker won the 400 at 58.36.
Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula won the team girls’ division with 86 points to 76.5 for second-place Redondo and 69.5 for third-place Manhattan Beach Mira Costa.
__________________
Baseball schools blanked
Gardena, Serra and North Torrance High’s baseball teams combined to go 0-8 last week.
Traditional baseball power El Segundo completed its sweep of North Torrance with wins of 7-6 on April 15 at North and 10-7 Friday at El Segundo. In a non-league game at home against Long Beach power Millikan last Monday, the Saxons fell on the short end of a 6-3 score.
Last week, Serra was pitted against one of the top teams in the CIF-Southern Section in Bishop Amat and suffered a pair of lopsided mercy rule losses of 13-0 (five innings) on April 15 and 13-3 in six Friday at Serra.
As in the past several seasons, Gardena is finding the Marine League overwhelming with losses of 9-0 (April 15 at Gardena) and 10-0 (Friday at Narbonne) to Harbor City Narbonne. At Gardena last Monday, the Panthers played a more respectful game but fell to Long Beach Rancho Dominguez Prep 4-2. Gardena also lost a non-league game at Monroe 8-6 Saturday in Sepulveda.
Despite the losses to El Segundo, Sei Nagashima went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in on April 15 at North. Josiah Reed was 3-for-4 with two runs.
Reed went 2-for-4 with one RBI and two runs last Friday. Lukas Blackwood was 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs.
North resumed Pioneer play at Peninsula High in Rolling Hills Estates on Wednesday and will host the Panthers Friday at 3:15 p.m. The Saxons begin their final league series against South Torrance next week, being at North next Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
Serra is looking for its first league win in its two-game series against Santa Fe Springs St. Paul this week. After hosting the Swordsmen on Tuesday, the Cavaliers visit St. Paul Friday at 3:15 p.m. Serra closes league at home against rival Playa del Rey St. Bernard next Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Gardena visits Rancho Dominguez Prep in Long Beach today and is at San Pedro next Wednesday in Marine games, both starting at 3 p.m.
