Torrance gets walk-off win vs. Maranatha to reach D2 final
TORRANCE >> With the bases loaded and two outs, Torrance four-year starter Corey Nunez stepped up to the plate with a simple focus.
“I just wanted to put the ball in play and see what happens,” Nunez said.
On the first pitch, Nunez ripped a ground ball to short that was misplayed, allowing Brock Mayer to score the winning run to send Torrance (25-5-1) into the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship game with a 2-1 win over Maranatha at Kendall Field.
Maranatha had defeated Great Oak, Quartz Hill and Lakewood to advance to Tuesday's semifinal.
Torrance will face Etiwanda in the final either Friday or Saturday at CS Fullerton's Goodwin Field.
Mayer led off the inning with a single. With one out, Evan Saito and Ricky Ahumada both singled to load the bases. At first it was Mason Martinez's chance to bring in the winning run, but Maranatha's Jacob Yun struck him out on three pitches.
“Three curveballs,” Nunez said of watching Martinez's at-bat. “I knew I was going to get a curveball. Last AB, he gave me one and I hammered it right up the middle.”
For Torrance coach Rob Ybarra, Nunez coming through in the clutch isn't anything new.
“Just let him a four-year starter,” Ybarra said of Nunez. “I had total faith in him. He looked pretty comfortable. He didn't look at me, so you have to kind of let them play.”
Hits were extremely difficult to come by in the early innings as Mayer and Maranatha
starter Zachary Strickland hooked up in a pitcher's duel.
Both pitchers only allowed a single through the first four innings.
In the top of the fifth, Nick Cook led-off for Maranatha with a double. Cam Andrews walked and Isaac Ton followed with a perfect bunt single. Bryan Richman followed with a ground out to second that scored Cook for a 1-0 lead.
Nunez, who had replaced Mayer earlier in the inning, intentionally walked Angelo Aleman and then retired the next two hitters to limit the damage.
“Over the last month, he (Brock Mayer) has been pitching like an ace,” Ybarra said. “Coming off the Arlington game (six innings, one hit allowed, seven strikeouts) and being at home, he looked pretty comfortable.
Torrance tied the game in the bottom of the fifth as Mayer, who led off the inning with a walk, later came home after an errant pick-off attempt at first got away. Garret McGuigan replaced Strickland to start the fifth for Maranatha. Yun pitched the final 2 2/3 innings for the Minutemen.
Nunez retired Maranatha in order in the sixth and seventh inning, setting the stage for the bottom of the seventh inning dramatics.
“I couldn't be more proud of them,” Ybarra said. “We had a few ups and down during (Pioneer) league, guys were starting to press a little bit, but you just have take a deep breath. We had a practice where we took the day off, just kind of made it real chill, and really after that, we came back and played the way that got us all of those wins early in the year. We're playing our best baseball right now at the perfect time.”