Improbable run ends on diamond
Senior shortstop Kyle Demarco scored Mira Costa’s lone run in the first inning. Photo
Mira Costa found out the hard way why baseball is called a game of inches. Kris Cayton narrowly missed a go-ahead home run in the top of the seventh inning before Jacob Smigelski slammed a one-out walk-off homer in the bottom of the frame giving Glendora (26-2-1) a 2-1 victory and the opportunity to take of Yucaipa in CIF Southern Section Toyota Division 2 Championships at Lake Elsinore Saturday.
The Mustangs (18-15) drew first blood, scoring a run in the first inning and pitcher Drew Van Orden kept the top-seeded Tartans at bay, scattering eight hits with only one walk before the pitch that ended Mira Costa’s surprising postseason run under first-year head coach Cassidy Olson. Glendora tied the game in the third inning on a fielding error.
Mira Costa pitcher Drew Van Orden kept the Mustangs in the game, allowing only one earned run to top-seeded Glendora. Photo
Over the past five seasons, Mira Costa has averaged 18.6 wins and 10.6 losses winning 20 games three times. The Mustangs entered the playoffs this year with its worst record in more than half a decade after a 4-11 start. Ironically, the team advanced further in the playoffs than any Mustang squad in more than 20 years. Mira Costa reached the quarterfinals last season but fell to visiting Foothill 4-1, ending its season with a 20-12 record.
Mira Costa reached the semifinals by defeating San Marcos 4-3, upsetting fourth-seeded Cypress 8-3 and eliminating fifth-seeded La Mirada 9-4 on the road.
In Division 4, Pioneer League champion El Segundo and runner-up Torrance reached the semifinals. Sixth-seeded El Segundo (24-10) was defeated 6-0 at No. 2 Palm Desert Tuesday after eliminating No. 3 St. Paul 5-3 last Friday.
Eight-seeded Torrance (23-9), however, held off visiting Indio 3-1 Tuesday to make a return trip to the finals. The Tartars will face second-seeded Palm Desert at 10 a.m. Saturday at Storm Stadium in Lake Elsinore.
Softball
The Pioneer League has seemed to set a standard for itself. For the fourth year in a row a team from the league reached the semifinals with defending CIF Division 4 champion North Torrance and rival Torrance accomplishing the feat this season. For the third consecutive season, North Torrance has reached the championship game after finishing third in league play.
The unranked Saxons will be looking for their third straight CIF title when they face second-seeded Santa Monica (26-5) at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine either Friday or Saturday.
Celina Thornton’s RBI single in the bottom of ninth inning gave North (23-10) a 1-0 victory over Buena who had upset top-seeded La Quinta in the second round. It was the second straight extra-inning contest for North which beat No. 4 Aquinas 1-0 in 15 innings in the quarterfinals.
Going into the season, North head coach Howard Miller was concerned about how his inexperienced pitching staff would come around. His questions have been answered in the postseason where his hurlers have surrendered only four runs throughout the playoffs and only one in the last 26 innings. Junior Molly Winders has thrown 28 consecutive scoreless innings.
Third-seeded Torrance (22-10) saw its season end with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss at No. 2 Santa Monica Tuesday. ER