By Joe Snyder
Serra High’s baseball team rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 4-3 non-league win over Leuzinger High from Lawndale on April 16 at Serra.
The Cavaliers took advantage of five walks from Olympian pitching to score the three runs. Tim Pryor, Joshua Bronson, and Isaiah Molina each scored on the bases-on-balls.
Leuzinger jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Serra, which improved to 14-6 overall, but is just 3-6 in the Del Rey League, scored its first run in the bottom of the fourth inning on a base hit by Terrence Sullivan.
“It was ugly,” Serra head coach A.J. Perry said. “We were able to find a way to win. It’s good that we won all our non-league games but we hope that we can get back and win in league and get a second or third-place berth in the playoffs.”
The Cavaliers resume Del Rey action at home against St. Paul High from Santa Fe Springs today at 3:15 p.m. before visiting the Swordsmen next Tuesday at the same time. Serra has a make-up home league game against Pasadena La Salle on May 6. The earlier league game, slated for April 4, was postponed due to a medical emergency on one of the Lancers’ players headed for Serra.
North Torrance continues to struggle in the Pioneer League after a pair of losses to a premiere El Segundo team last week. The Eagles, who lead the league at 8-0 and are ranked second (behind Manhattan Beach Mira Costa which clinched the Bay League title with two wins over Palos Verdes last week) in the South Bay by the Daily Breeze, topped the Saxons 8-5 on April 16 at John Stevenson Field on the grounds of El Segundo Recreation Park and 8-2 last Friday at North.
Despite the loss on April 16, North junior Justin Olivar went 3-for-3 with three runs batted in. He hit a home run. Sei Nagashima went 2-for-4 with one run. Keying El Segundo were Anders Tiptin and Logan Brooks who each had two hits and drove in two runs.
Last Friday, Kai Nagashima drove in a run with a hit.
After hosting Peninsula on Wednesday, the Saxons (3-5 in league) host Mary Star of the Sea from San Pedro today at 3:30 p.m. before returning to Pioneer for a 3:15 p.m. game at Peninsula in Rolling Hills Estates on Friday. North visits cross town rival South Torrance next Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
Gardena lost all four games of the Dennis Gilbert RBI (Revival of Baseball in the Inner Cities) Tournament after losing its last game to Mendez 4-3 last Friday at the Urban Youth Baseball Academy in Compton. Jesse Aguayo went 3-for-4 with one run batted in and a run scored. Included was a double. Angel Sanchez also was 3-for-4 and scored a run.
On April 16, the Panthers fell to Sotomayer 5-2. Francisco Pavan was 3-for-4 and Aguayo had a run-scoring hit.
On April 14, Gardena lost to Fremont 10-5. Jesse Castellanos went 2-for-3 that included an RBI double.
The Panthers host Monroe from Sepulveda (near Northridge) in a San Fernando Tournament game on Saturday at 10 a.m. before resuming Marine League play at Rancho Dominguez Prep in Long Beach next Wednesday at 3 p.m.
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Local hoops stars land on Breeze All-South Bay
Serra and North Torrance each had players make the 2024-25 girls’ basketball all-South Bay team, announced last week by the Daily Breeze.
The Lady Saxons, who were co-Bay League champions with Manhattan Beach Mira Costa and advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division IIAA finals before falling to Oak Park 68-57 on March 14 at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, had senior guard Keimi Santiago make first-team. Santiago averaged 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. The Lady Saxons also made the Southern California Regional Division I playoffs losing in the first round to host Windward 62-49 on March 4 in the Los Angeles Mar Vista District.
North had two players make second-team in sophomore guard Camryn Shimazaki and junior guard Keila Fitzgerald.
Santiago and Fitzgerald were also on the all-CIF Southern Section Division IIAA team.
Serra, which finished third in the Camino Real League but advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division IVAA finals before falling in the championship game to Rancho Santa Margarita Tesoro 59-46 on March 1 at Edison High in Huntington Beach, landed Kaicia Snelson on third-team.
Snelson also made the all-CIF Southern Section Division IVAA squad.
Serra lost in the first round of the Southern California Regional Division IV playoffs to host Santa Ynez 44-40 on March 4.
Bishop Montgomery, which won the Del Rey League and made the prestigious CIF-Southern Section and Southern California Regional Open Division, had four players make all-area. Senior Jordan Blackmon, who was last season’s South Bay Player of the Year, made first team, along with teammate sophomore guard Aramje Reed. Blackmon is a forward and point guard. Junior guard Sophia Dignadice made second-team and senior guard Atiya Watson landed on third-team. Blackmon and Reed were all-Southern Section Open Division players as the Lady Knights went 2-2 in their pool and lost in the quarterfinals of the Southern California Regional Open Division to Santa Ana Mater Dei.
Other local players on all-area included second-teamers Kendra Sing (South Torrance), Tess Ida (West Torrance) and Monica Villanueva (Torrance), and Madi Chung (South Torrance) and Zoeey Taylor (Carson) on third-team.
San Pedro Rolling Hills Prep, the CIF-Southern Section Division IIA champion, swept Player and Coach of the Year. Top player was sophomore Ryan Enright and Coach was Monique Anderson.
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Track stars enjoy busy week
This past week may have been the busiest for local prep track and field athletes.
On April 15 was the Del Rey League Championships at St. Paul High in Santa Fe Springs. Last Friday and Saturday highlighted the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut and Saturday was the South Bay Championships at West Torrance High.
Serra had a few athletes do well at the Del Rey Championships, led by Otis “Tre” Harrison and its sprinters.
Harrison, a senior, was a solid favorite to win the boys’ 300-meter intermediate hurdles and he did just that at 39.01 seconds. He was also on Serra’s 4×100 and 4×400-meter relay teams that recorded second-place finishes clocking 43.35 and 3:28.63, in order. Other Serra runners on the 400-relay included Lawson Griggs-Andrews, Landon Thomas and Dion Edwards. Other Cavaliers on the 1,600 relay were the same as the sprint relay. Harrison was last year’s CIF-Southern Section Division IV 300 intermediate hurdle champion and advanced to the CIF-State Championship.
Griggs-Andrews, a sophomore, recorded a second-place finish in the 100-meter dash in 10.91.
Senior Jimmy Butler, Serra’s starting quarterback in football, placed second in the triple jump at 41 feet, eight inches and third in the long jump (21 feet).
Junior Joey Bolder took second in the shot put with a toss of 44-3.
For the girls, senior Isabella Samuel won the 100 (12.24) and 200 (25.4). The Lady Cavaliers’ 4×100 relay finished second behind winner Inglewood St. Mary’s Academy, timing 49.35. Runners included Raelyn Pleasant, Savannah Coleman, Mecca Muhammed, and Karson Smith.
Pleasant, younger cousin of former Serra standout sprinter and football player Roderick Pleasant (Class of 2023 and now competing in football and track and field at University of Oregon), won the long jump (16-6) and triple jump (36 feet).
Serra will have these athletes and a few more in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV Prelims on May 3 at Carpinteria High in South Santa Barbara County.
At the Mt. SAC College Relays, Serra’s top performance was by its 4×200 relay team of Griggs-Andrews, Edwards, Harrison and Thomas which finished third in the seeded division in 1:28.18. Harrison was fifth in the boys’ 300-meter intermediate hurdles clocking 38.42. Carson’s Jayden Rendon took second in the 300 hurdles at 36.86.
Carson’s Christina Gray finished sixth in the girls’ invitational 100 clocking 11.78.
In the South Bay Championships, North Torrance’s Sean Lowe won the boys’ 110-meter-high hurdles in 14.95 and placed second in the 300 intermediates (40.38). Also highlighting the Saxons was Elijah Tayletia who won the shot put (48-10.5). North had a second-place finish in the girls’ shot put by Abby Clark (30-5.5). Winning the shot put was Torrance’s Melanie Torres (35 feet).
Manhattan Beach Mira Costa captured the South Bay boys’ crown with 102 points to 97 for second-place rival Redondo. Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula finished third with 77 points, followed by fourth-place North Torrance (65) and fifth-place West Torrance (57).
West Torrance ran away with the girls’ title by routing second-place Mira Costa 129.33-67. Redondo was third with 64 points, followed by Peninsula (61.33) and Torrance (55).
The Lady Warriors were led by distance runner Kanulah Sulim who won the 1,600 (5:02.91) and 3,200 (10:49.04). West also won the 4×100 in 49.78.
The Bay, Pioneer and Ocean League Track and Field Championships are this week.
