Mira Costa waits after beating Redondo
MANHATTAN BEACH >> Thursday's regular-season finale was a must-win game for the Mira Costa and Redondo baseball teams.
Both teams entered the game with .500 records and tied at 4-5 in the Bay League.
The winner would have a record over .500, finish fourth in league and be eligible for an at-large berth in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs.
Thanks to a strong outing from pitcher Matthew Krause, Mira Costa prevailed for a 5-0 win.
The Mustangs will now wait to see if they receive an at-large berth into the Division 2 playoffs.
“Matthew was great,” Mira Costa coach Andy Diver said. “He found his slider and made some really good pitches when it counted. They had no hits through seven.”
Krause went 5 1/3 innings and was replaced by Charlie O'Connor, who recorded the final two outs in the sixth. Max Martinez pitched a scoreless seventh to wrap up the win.
“I just trusted my stuff,” Krause said. “My slider has been working the past few weeks. I came out today and executed. This was one of my better starts. Beginning of the year, my first two starts were probably the worst starts I've ever had. March was good and April just took off and got a lot better.”
Mira Costa (14-13-1, 5-5) scored in the second inning on Santino Garcia's groundout. Jake DeSpain, who led off the inning with a single, moved to second on Jake Hultz's single and to third on an error.
In the fourth, the Mustangs got some breathing room. First, Lucas Schermer hit a solo home run and later Win Gurney had a two-run single for a 4-0 lead.
“I think it was just a fastball, middle in, I just saw it well,” Schermer said. “We've been dealing with a bunch of hard games throughout the season. We knew that we had to win. Matthew
Krause on the mound was excellent.”
Now, Mira Costa plays the waiting game.
There are 38 teams in Division 2 and 32 will be selected for the playoff bracket.
“In my calculation, there are four teams that are eligible for three (at-large) spots,” Diver said. “We have the highest MaxPreps RPI, which I know helps and we finished above .500 in a league that ended up being pretty tough . ... So, we'll see.”
The playoff pairings will be released Monday morning.
Redondo ended the regular season 12-13 overall and 4-6 in the Bay League. It needed to finish with a record of .500 or better to qualify for a potential atlarge spot in the playoffs.
TORRANCE 7, SOUTH TORRANCE 0 >> Slater Nunez pitched a three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts to lead the Tartars (19-7-1, 10-2) to the win and a share of the Pioneer League title.
Nunez also had a double and an RBI. Hector Chavez had two hits for Torrance, which won a fourth consecutive league title. It will be in the Division 1 playoffs.
WEST TORRANCE 13, NORTH TORRANCE 0 >> Dylan Smith had a double and triple and drove in five runs as the Warriors (19-7, 10-2) earned a share of the Pioneer League title.
Reef Sharman allowed just three hits and struck out 13 for West.
The Warriors will be in the Division 2 playoffs.
PALOS VERDES 7, PENINSULA 0 >> Tyler Tellenbach pitched a three-hit shutout and struck out eight for the Sea Kings (17-11, 7-3), who clinched a share of the Bay League title.
Luke Bowen and Noah Garcia had two hits apiece for Palos Verdes and Garcia drove in two runs.
The Sea Kings will be in the Division 2 playoffs.
EL SEGUNDO 16, LAWNDALE 1>> Mateo Heredia and Logan Brooks had three hits apiece, and Chase Mattoon drove in three runs for the Eagles (19-8, 9-3) in the Pioneer League win.
Dylan Alcala pitched 5 1/3 innings. He allowed two hits and struck out six.
El Segundo will be in the Division 3 playoffs.
CARSON 11, BANNING 1 >> The Colts (19-7, 8-0) remained undefeated in the Marine League with the win over the Pilots.
Dylan Mares drove in three runs and was one of four players with two hits for the Colts.
Sergio Padilla went the distance for the Carson. He allowed one run on seven hits, walked three and struck out three.
SAN PEDRO 9, RANCHO DOMINGUEZ 0 >> Troy Brucelas and Jesse Martinez had two hits apiece and three players drove in two runs each to lead the Pirates (12-12, 6-2) to the Marine League win.
Three pitchers — Tyrus Wilson, Aidan McCroskey and Anthony Sogliuzzo — combined for the two-hit shutout.