Costa wins Bay baseball title earning 6th seed; Redondo faces tough road ahead
Mira Costa’s Joey Acosta slugs a grand slam to complete a comeback victory over rival Redondo giving the Mustangs its second straight Bay League title. Photo
In a display of its potent offense and stellar pitching, Mira Costa’s baseball team won its second straight Bay League title with a victory against visiting Redondo, but it didn’t come easy.
Trailing 2-0, Mira Costa erupted for four runs in the fifth inning and four in the sixth thanks to a grand slam by Joey Acosta that gave the Mustangs an 8-2 victory.
Mira Costa dropped its regular season final at Redondo 4-2 on Thursday ending a 10-game winning streak, but is well prepared for the postseason.
The momentum turned in Redondo’s favor when a Mira Costa runner on first was tagged out after stepping off the bag to celebrate the score. The runner and coach Keith Ramsey argued with the umpires that the runner had raised his hands to signal a time out. After initially agreeing with Ramsey, the umpires reversed their call,
“The Bay League is always tough with good talent at each school,” Mira Costa head coach Keith Ramsey said. “We are proud of the way our kids battled each game and to come out on top is a great achievement. I’m very proud of our players.”
Mira Costa (27-3) enters the Division 1 playoffs Friday with a home game against Foothill runner-up West Ranch (19-9).
Redondo second baseman Cameron Wong will play a vital role as the Sea Hawks face a tough task in the Division 2 playoffs. Photo
“It’s going to be a tough tournament, no doubt,” Ramsey said. “We are excited to be in there and if we play our style of baseball, I always like our chances. The kids have worked hard all year for this opportunity.”
Bay League runner-up Redondo (18-8) wasn’t given any favors in the Division 2 playoffs. The will travel to Pacific View champion Rio Mesa (20-4-1) with the winner likely taking on top-seeded Beckman in the second round on Tuesday.
“We are excited to get started in the CIF playoffs and represent Redondo High School,” head coach Andy Diver said. “With that being said, I was a bit surprised that we were seeded where we are. Although, I have been doing this a long time and know that it doesn’t really matter where you are seeded. The team that gets hot,and plays good baseball will win, period. We are a good team, are capable of getting hot, and playing well. The bottom line is that we have to beat good teams along the way.”
Also in Division 2, Ocean League champion El Segundo (19-11) hosts Alemany (17-11) in the opening round.
In Division 3, the Bay League’s third-place team, Palos Verdes (17-10-1) hosted Culver City in a wild-card game on Wednesday with the winner playing at top-seeded Maranatha on Friday.
Torrance (17-5) also earned a wild-card spot and played at No. 9 Rancho Cucamonga with the victor playing at Capistrano Valley Christian in the opening round.
West Torrance (15-15) travels to take on Grace Brethren (16-8) in the first round.
In Division 4, Pioneer League champion South Torrance (25-4) earned the No. 1 seed and will host the wild-card winner between Lompoc and Buena in the first round. Bishop Montgomery (11-14) played a wild-card game against Pacifica and with the victory takes on No. 3 Monrovia on Friday.
In Division 7, Vistamar (11-3) travels to take on Tarbut V Torah (10-6) in the first round.
For complete results and schedules, visit cifss.org.