Saugus falls, Trinity advances: plus, scores from around the quarterfinals
Following back-to-back wins in the first and second round of Division 7 baseball playoffs, Golden Valley’s historic season came to an end on Friday after the South El Monte Eagles won, 5-2, and eliminated the Grizzlies from the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section championships.
“We just got outplayed today. That’s a good baseball team over there,” Golden Valley head coach Marc Kennedy said. “I think this game is so much about momentum and we had our chancethere.”
In the loss, the Grizzlies were held to three hits with two coming in the bottom of the seventh in a rally by Golden Valley’s offense to score their two runs.
South El Monte’s Jesse Zavala, a freshman, held Golden Valley at bay as Kennedy added his team did not capitalize during the game.
“Their kid on the mound executed his pitches,” Kennedy said. “We were just off the barrel on some of the swings and had some weak contact.”
Senior ace right-hander Charlie Butts started the game for the Grizzlies but only threw five and two-thirds innings en route to allowing four runs.
Kennedy said that Butts did his best on the mound in the loss but wasn’t able to find command of his breaking balls like he was used to all season.
“He just didn’t have a great command of the breaking ball today,” Kennedy said. “That’s a good hitting team and they capitalized on some fastballs over the plate with guys on base and manufactured a few runs.”
Butts ended the day with eight strikeouts and ended his high school career with Golden Valley High School with a quarterfinals appearance. Butts is committed to continuing his academic and athletic career at Glendale Community College.
With only two graduating seniors and a handful of returning players for next season, Kennedy can’t help but think this season’s group of Grizzlies could do the same next year. And following the program’s first-ever playoff appearance, he’s grateful for what this year’s roster accomplished on the field to set the standard.
“There’s not one guy in that dugout that would rather see himself do well than the guy next to him,” he said. “You know, no two teams are the same. This was the last game this team’s going to play. And it’s a privilege and I’m grateful to have been a part of it.”
After Friday’s games, here are scores from around the quarterfinals:
Trinity 7, El Rancho 6: Despite trailing by as much as six runs, the Trinity Knights are semifinal-bound after walking off the El Rancho Dons on a Quinn Minyard single.
With one out and a runner on, Minyard drove in Andrew Carlson for the game-winning run on a line drive toward center.
With the win, the Knights advanced to the semifinals of the Division 6 playoffs and will play again on Tuesday against the Brentwood Eagles of Los Angeles.
The contest between the Eagles and Knights is scheduled for Tuesday at Brentwood School with first pitch scheduled for 3:15 p.m.
Rio Mesa 2, Saugus 1: Despite a late-game single from Logan Feldman to take a one-run lead, the Centurions gave up two runs in a walk-off to Rio Mesa in the eighth.
With the loss, the Centurions are eliminated from the Division 4 playoffs.
