Gardena High’s baseball team continued to have it rough going against four very good Marine League teams but was able to finish strong by routing Washington in the battle of the two league Division II squads last week.
At Gardena on May 3, the Panthers humiliated the Generals 25-0. At Washington last Thursday, Gardena used three big innings to finish off the Generals 14-2.
Gardena High’s baseball team continued to have it rough going against four very good Marine League teams but was able to finish strong by routing Washington in the battle of the two league Division II squads last week.
At Gardena on May 3, the Panthers humiliated the Generals 25-0. At Washington last Thursday, Gardena used three big innings to finish off the Generals 14-2.
The wins put Gardena into the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division II playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and the Panthers, under first year head coach Tom Fox, hope that it will improve from its quick first round exit by Van Nuys Grant 14-0 from last year. Playoff pairings are expected to be decided this week and then playoffs start next week.
In the first game, the Panthers started fast with 11 first inning runs. Gardena added nine in the bottom of the third for a 20-0 bulge, then continued to pour it on a hapless Washington team (0-10 in league and 0-13 overall) with five more in the bottom of the fourth. The game ended with a five-inning mercy rule.
Daniel Herrera sparked the Panthers, who ended the Marine League at 2-8 and are 5-9 overall, going a4-for-5 with five runs batted in and three runs scored. Daniel Storley was 4-for-5 driving in four runs and scoring three. Nick Cardona had three hits in four at-bats with four runs and three RBI’s. Roberto Chavez went 2-for-5 with three RBI’s and one run. Bryan Perez was 2-for-3 with four runs and two RBI’s. Giovanni Murillo went 3-for-5 with three runs and one RBI. Cardona allowed just one hit in five innings.
Perez had a two-run home run, scored two runs and was the winning pitcher in Gardena’s win over the Generals last Thursday. Herrera went 3-for-5 including two triples, two RBI’s and three runs. Chris Lopez went 2-for-4 with two runs. Cardona was 2-for-3 with two doubles, three runs and one RBI.
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Serra continues to struggle in Del Rey after losses to Bishop Amat, Cathedral
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Serra High’s baseball team continued to struggle in the Del Rey League with two more losses. At Bishop Amat in La Puente on May 3, the first place Lancers rolled over the Cavaliers 9-2. At Serra last Monday, the Cavaliers lost to Cathedral 2-1 in nine innings.
Against the Phantoms, who improved to 5-6 in league, Serra held a 1-0 lead until the top of the fourth inning when a single and a critical error led them to a tying unearned run. The miscue came when Mark Cobian singled off pitcher Rollie Nichols that was misplayed in left field and Cobian went all of the way to third with no outs. Cobian scored on a sacrifice fly.
Nichols pitched well, going nine innings, but Cathedral scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth when Tyler Chavez singled home Bernie Fernandez after one out.
“We need to cut down on the errors,” Serra head coach Martel London said. “We’ll continue to work and battle.”
Serra scored first in the bottom of the second inning. With the bases loaded, Jalen Bolden was hit by a pitch that scored John Mosngurron, who led off the inning with a single. Mosngurron went 2-for-4. Tyler Morrison was also 2-for-4 with one stolen base.
The Cavaliers also lost to Bishop Amat, which is ranked No. 5 in the CIF-Southern Section Division III. Last Friday, Serra was to host the Lancers but it was rained out and is rescheduled for today at 3:15 p.m. The Cavaliers visited Cathedral at East Los Angeles College Wednesday.
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Top Serra track stars advance to CIF finals
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Serra High’s boys’ and girls’ track and field teams advanced several athletes to Saturday’s CIF-Southern Section Division IV Prelims after top finishes in last Thursday’s Del Rey League Championships at St. Paul High in Santa Fe Springs.
The Lady Cavaliers’ 4×100-meter relay team of Jasmine Reed, Jazmine Frost, Kayla Pickens and Madison Golden won the race at 46.76 seconds. They have one of the United States’ top times of 46.01 that they did in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays on April 16 at Cerritos College.
Reed was also a winner in the 100- and 200-meter dashes with times of 11.96 and 24.6 seconds, in order as her teammate Frost was second in both of those events clocking 12.0 in the 100 and 24.61 in the 200. Pickens finished third in the 100 in 12.0 and placed fourth in the 200 timing 25.3, good enough to qualify for CIF.
For the boys, Isaiah Diego-Williams ran away with the 100 meters in a blazing time of 10.55. He also won the 200 clocking 21.95 and led the Cavaliers’ 4×100 relay to the Prelims at 43.5. Other runners on Serra’s 400 relay included Jermaine Houston, Tiger-Taylor Hall and Deian Malan. Diego-Williams also qualified in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, nine inches, as did Malik Foster (21-2.5). Sophomore Tiger Taylor-Hall long jumped 22-5 in the league prelims on May 3, also at St. Paul, then still made it to the Prelims at 20-9 in the finals. Halt also advanced in the 200 after a 22.8 timing.
The Division IV Prelims begin at 8 a.m. at Carpinteria High in South Santa Barbara County.
