Serra baseball team starts Del Rey by sweeping Cathedral
By Joe Snyder
GVN Correspondent
After going 3-7 in a mostly rigid non-league schedule, Serra High’s baseball team got back on its feet with a sweep of Los Angeles Cathedral High last week.
At Serra on April 8, the Cavaliers shut out the Phantoms, 3-0. At Bishop’s Canyon Field, located above the Dodger Stadium grounds, the Cavaliers downed Cathedral, 7-2.
Serra baseball team starts Del Rey by sweeping Cathedral
By Joe Snyder
GVN Correspondent
After going 3-7 in a mostly rigid non-league schedule, Serra High’s baseball team got back on its feet with a sweep of Los Angeles Cathedral High last week.
At Serra on April 8, the Cavaliers shut out the Phantoms, 3-0. At Bishop’s Canyon Field, located above the Dodger Stadium grounds, the Cavaliers downed Cathedral, 7-2.
At Serra, freshman Cardinal Fernandesees pitched six shutout innings; limiting the Phantoms to just two hits, striking out six batters and walking none.
The Cavaliers scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, behind a run-scoring single from Shane Early and RBI (run batted in) doubles by Morgan Lomax and Marcus Wilson.
Wilson also picked up a save pitching one hitless inning and allowing one walk.
Serra’s first win over Cathedral came on the same day of the 40th anniversary of a cousin of head coach Wilmer Aaron’s, Henry Aaron, who broke the legendary Babe Ruth’s lifetime home run record with his 715th round tripper off L.A. Dodger pitcher Al Downing on April 8, 1974 at Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium (1965-97). That broke the Ruth’s record of 714 with the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Boston Braves from 1915-35. Henry would finish his career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1976 with 755 homers.
Although a controversy by many Major League Baseball observers due to use of performance enhancing drugs, Barry Bonds (Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants, 1987-2008) hit his 756th in 2007 with the Giants, to break Aaron’s record. Bonds ended with 782.
“This was a celebration for my cousin but the kids put on a good display,” Wilmer Aaron said. “Fernandesees has been solid. He hasn’t had a bad outing.”
Fernandesees lost earlier this season to Downey Warren but he pitched a two-hitter. The Cavaliers fell to the Bears, 6-1, due to five errors leading to five unearned runs.
“We have a lot of young kids,” Aaron said. “We got to grow up fast.”
Lomax went 2-for-3 with one RBI and a run scored.
Defensively, Early made an outstanding catch on a line drive.
Chapman, a returning all-American, went 3-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base to help Serra complete the sweep of Cathedral last Thursday.
Lomax also was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases. Early went 1-for-3 and drove in three runs.
Winning pitcher Thomas Bothwell pitched a complete game, allowing seven hits and walking none.
Serra had two games against La Puente Bishop Amat in Del Rey action last week, hosting the Lancers on Tuesday and visiting them on Wednesday. The Cavaliers visit North Torrance in a non-league game Saturday at 11 a.m.
After its Easter break, Serra resumes league at home against La Salle of Pasadena on April 29.
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Gardena High baseball gets swept by Carson in Marine action
By Joe Snyder
GVN Correspondent
Gardena High’s baseball team saw its Marine League record fall to 0-4 and overall mark to 3-10 after getting swept by Carson, then losing in the first round of the Dennis Gilbert RBI (Revival of Baseball in the Inner Cities) Tournament to host South East, 8-3, on Saturday.
At Carson on April 8, the Panthers committed an astounding 10 errors as eight of the Colts’ runs were unearned.
Carson (7-7 overall and 3-0 in league) was led by Gerardo Escobedo who drove in two runs. Ralph Garcia was 1-for-4 with one RBI and Tony Yanez went 3-for-3 with a double and triple for Gardena.
Both of the Panther runs were unearned in their loss at home to the Colts last Thursday.
Carson was led by winning pitcher Steven Sumoge who pitched a complete game and Jacob Tascano who had two hits and two runs.
ECC spikers win conference: El Camino College’s men’s volleyball team won the Western States Conference by sweeping Los Angeles Trade Tech College, 25-17, 25-20, 25-15, on April 9 at ECC.
The Warriors were led by former Manhattan Beach Mira Costa High standout Karl Acres who had 10 kills in 11 attempts (.909 hitting percentage).
Ray Powell added 14 kills, three ace serves and six digs. Setter Kennison Rowe had 41 assists.
It was El Camino’s first conference title ever and it opens its Southern California Regional playoffs as the top seed next Wednesday at 5 p.m. against Glendale College at Santiago Canyon College in Orange.
