Citrus Hill overpowers Pomona in first round

PERRIS » Citrus Hill’s hitters have relaxed. Opposing pitchers, not so much.

The Hawks have left a late-season offensive dip in the rear-view mirror, and the offensive resurgence continued Friday. Citrus Hill pounded out 18 hits and rolled to an 11-1 victory over Pomona in the first round of the CIF Southern Division 5 baseball playoffs.

Citrus Hill (16-5) will be at home Tuesday against Sunny Hills in a second-round playoff game.

Last month, the Hawks were shut out in three consecutive games. They have scored 44 runs in the four games since.

“I think our approach has changed,” catcher Caleb Valcarcel said. “Before, our mindset was that they (opponents) had kind of a good pitcher going and we were trying so hard. I think we left that behind. Now we don’t really care who the pitcher is and we just keep battling.”

It was a battle for Valcarcel, who was forced to leave the game for 1 ½ innings after taking a hard foul tip.

He picked up where he left off at the plate, singling and scoring in his first at-bat back.

In a game that was competitive into the fifth inning, Valcarcel scored three of the Hawks’ first four runs and drove in the other.

“Off the field or on the field, he’s just so consistent, and very passionate,” said Citrus Hill coach Aaron Layne. “They call him ‘The President’ because he sets the tone and everyone kind of follows him.”

Despite the barrage of hits, Citrus Hill managed just a 2-0 lead through four innings. The Hawks were actually fortunate to have any lead, as both runs were the result of pop-fly doubles lost in the sun by Pomona’s outfielders.

The dam opened in the sixth, when six of the first seven batters hit safely. Domonic Torrez doubled home two runs and scored on a wild pitch to cap a seven-run inning.

In the final two innings, Layne worked in hard-throwing freshman Gabriel Brion. He sailed through the sixth and weathered a shakier seventh to allow one run.

“We’ve faced him a lot (in practice),” Valcarcel said. “We know he’s got good stuff, so we have a lot of confidence in him.”