Four Inland teams look to punch ticket to finals
Etiwanda, La Sierra, Aquinas and Moreno Valley hope to be among the 14 high school baseball teams who will be playing for a CIF Southern Section championship later this week at Cal State Fullerton.
The four Inland teams remaining in the playoffs will play section semifinal games today at 3:15 p.m.
Etiwanda has breezed through the Division 2 bracket, winning its three playoff games by a combined score of 30-3. The Eagles (23-8) travel to Palos Verdes (21-10) for its semifinal game.
Brady Ebel is expected to get the start on the mound for Etiwanda in the semifinals. The freshman has been outstanding this season with a 6-0 record and 0.38 ERA. Ebel also leads the team with 29 runs batted in. Austen Roellig leads Etiwanda with a .440 average and 32 runs scored from the leadoff spot.
Etiwanda is looking to advance to the section finals for the first time since winning Division 2 in 2017.
La Sierra is one win away from the program’s first finals appearance since 1979.
The Eagles (22-10) have a big obstacle in their way, however, as they host topseeded La Quinta (24-6) in a Division 3 semifinal.
Jesse Espinoza and Taer Rodriguez likely will split innings on the mound. The duo combined to throw a seven-hitter in La Sierra’s 8-1 win in the second round. Espinoza also has sparked the lineup, going 7 for 9 in the playoffs in the leadoff spot. Nick Velasquez has knocked in six runs in the playoffs.
Aquinas has shown why it received the No. 1 seed in the Division 4 bracket, outscoring its three playoff opponents by a combined score of 20-3. The Falcons (28-2) will host Fullerton (23-7) in the semifinals.
The Aquinas offense is led by shortstop Eric Bitonti, who leads the team with a .538 average, eight home runs and 41 runs batted in. Noah Christman is 7 for 11 and has knocked in seven runs in the postseason.
Cade Nolan likely will get the call on the mound for Aquinas. He has been exceptional this season, going 10-0 with a 1.19 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings. He has not allowed a run in 13 playoff innings.
Aquinas is looking to advance to the finals for the first time in the program’s history.
Moreno Valley is the No. 1 seed in the Division 5 bracket and has won its first three playoff games by a combined score of 216. The Vikings (26-3) play host to Buena (20-8-1) in today’s semifinal round.
Frank Camarillo tossed four scoreless inning during the quarterfinals, but he would be available to pitch today, if needed, since he only threw 60 pitches. Camarillo is 10-0 with a 1.85 ERA and 107 strikeouts.
Camarillo also leads the team with a .495 average and 38 runs batted in, while Aiden Magana is hitting .463 with a team-high 42 runs scored. Johnny Silva went 4 for 4 with five RBIs in the quarterfinals.
Moreno Valley is looking to advance to the section finals for the third time since 2017.