Tag: inland valley baseball

Mavericks win 2024 Sunset League Championship

Max Suckley

Day two of the 2024 Sunset League Championship took place on a peaceful summer afternoon at Mt. Sac’s beautiful Mazmanian Field. It was here that the Socal Mavericks won their first Sunset League Championship, but it certainly didn’t come easy for them. 

After losing the first game on Thursday, the Diplomats needed to win game two to force a winner-take-all contest in the evening. Terrific pitching and timely hitting helped them take game two, but they weren’t able to carry the same momentum into game three. 

The Mavericks looked poised to take a strong lead in the first inning after they loaded the bases with no outs, but Diplomats starter Logan Long was able to strike out a batter and get the next one to ground into an inning-ending double play. 

The Diplomats also loaded the bases in the first inning, but they were able to cash in on the opportunity. A fielder’s choice brought one run across and multiple defensive mistakes from the Mavericks extended the inning, allowing the Diplomats to bring two more runs across. 

The long inning finally came to an end when the Maverick’s left fielder made a great throw to cut down a runner at home, ending the inning and stopping the bleeding. 

The Mavericks fought back shortly after by leading off an inning with a double and two singles bringing in their first run of the day. A double play allowed another run to score but halted the Mav’s momentum. 

The Diplomats’ best hitter, Chris Smith, responded by hitting a leadoff triple to the wall in right-center. Smith was brought in a few pitches later on a line drive that deflected off of the pitcher and knocked him out of the game. 

With their starter injured, the Mavericks had a tough time finding outs and they allowed the Diplomats to extend their lead to 6-2. 

The Mavericks looked dangerous in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases with two outs, but Long was able to shut them down once again to finish his impressive complete game and even the series. 

The Diplomats created a lot of momentum for themselves heading into game three, but the Mavericks looked rejuvenated after the 30-minute break between games. 

Three consecutive singles from the Mavericks in the bottom of the first started the rally. A Mikey Hanano single brought in the first run and a Ryan Tyner single brought in another. The Mavs were given another run on a bases-loaded walk.

 A crushing throwing error from the Diplomats’ catcher capped off the inning, allowing the Mavericks to score another two runs to establish a 5-0 lead. 

In the second inning, the Mavericks once again loaded the bases with no outs for Hanano. Hanano hit the ball hard at the second baseman, allowing the Diplomats to turn a double play while still scoring the runner from third. The Mavs runner on second attempted to catch the Diplomats sleeping by trying to score, but the first baseman was alert and threw him out at home to turn a rare RBI triple play. 

The Mavericks’ defense faltered in the fifth with back-to-back errors and a hit loading the bases, but they were able to come up with a clutch double play to keep the Diplomats scoreless. 

The Mavs added another run to make the score 6-0, but the Diplomats finally made a dent in the sixth with a two-run RBI single up the middle. 

The Mavericks responded with two insurance runs on a Christian Takahashi double to put the game out of reach. 

The Diplomats scored a couple more late in the game, but their pitching could not hold the Mavericks offense down. 

After a hard-fought six hours, the Socal Mavericks finally emerged as victors of the 2024 Sunset League Championship, completing their quest to become the regular and postseason champion.

Power defeat Wave to win 2024 CPCL Championship

Max Suckley

On a scorching summer day in the Inland Valley, the Palm Springs Power capped off their dominant 2024 campaign by toppling the San Diego Wave to win the 2024 CPCL Championship. 

The Wave finished their regular season with a strong win over the Legends qualifying them for the second spot in the championship series. 

The Power finished the regular season by suffering their first loss in 51 games at the hands of the Bucs. 

For game one of the best-of-three series, San Diego made the long trek to Palm Springs. 

The Power started well, grabbing an early lead on an RBI single from Aiden Taurek.

Things quickly got out of hand in Palm Springs during the second inning when the Wave brought two runs home. San Diego could not be shut down and they rallied for another two runs in the third to make the score 4-1. 

The Wave were unrelenting, once again scoring two runs in the fifth and throwing their fourth consecutive scoreless inning. 

The Power finally scored another run in the sixth after surrendering six unanswered runs. 

San Diego added an insurance run in the seventh to increase their lead to 7-2. Palm Springs battled back, scoring one run in the bottom of the seventh and another two in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough.

With their backs against the wall, the Power now had to leave their home territory and travel to Azusa with elimination staring them down. 

The Wave had two chances to win the CPCL championship at the neutral site Azusa Pacific University.

The Power once again scored in the first, but just like the night before, they relinquished their early momentum by allowing San Diego to score two runs in the second. 

After a bit of a pitchers’ duel, Palm Springs leveled the score in the top of the sixth. The Wave were not complacent with the draw and added two more runs to give themselves a commanding 4-2 lead with only nine outs left to get. 

San Diego shut down the Power in the seventh and eighth, holding on to their two-run lead. With only three outs left to get and momentum on their side, it looked like the Wave were surely going to take the CPCL title. 

Palm Springs was not ready to give up yet. The Power put two runners on with no outs to bring the winning run up to the plate. A single brought the score within one, then Taurek hit a ground ball through the left side to bring the tying run in. With two outs and the score now tied, Angel Cortez also hit a single past the shortstop to give Palm Springs the lead. 

The Power held on to the lead, forcing a third game later in the evening. 

Game three was the first game in which Palm Springs did not have to play from a deficit. A big three-run inning in the third gave the Power offensive momentum, which they used to add one more run in the fourth and fifth. Palm Springs’ offense was highlighted by solo home runs from Fred Buckson and Cody Kashimoto. 

Palm Springs’ pitching looked the best it had all series, with starting pitcher Bear Pinedo going five scoreless. 

San Diego finally got on the board in the sixth because of a two-run home run from Elijah Cook, cutting the Power lead down to three.

Palm Springs added an insurance run in the seventh to make the score 6-2. 

The insurance run was well-needed as the Wave sparked a rally to add another two runs in the eighth. Now down 6-4 with only three outs left, San Diego needed clutch at-bats, and they found them. 

Two sacrifice flies in the ninth brought in the two runs the Wave needed to tie the game. 

In the bottom of the ninth, the Power put a runner on for the middle of their lineup to drive in. The University of Antelope Valley’s Noah Blythe came up to the plate with the opportunity to drive the runner in and win the game for Palm Springs.

Blythe took advantage of this opportunity by crushing a ball far over the left-field fence to walk it off and win the 2024 CPCL championship for the Palm Springs Power. 

Blythe was the clear MVP of the game, driving in five of the Power’s eight runs. 

The Power are now back-to-back CPCL champions. Having only lost three games in the past two years, Palm Springs looks to be the favorite going into the 2025 season.

Rios comes up clutch twice for the Pirates

Max Suckley

The Inland Valley’s Pirates and Legends met on a beautiful summer day at Cal Poly Pomona’s Scolinos Field for their last matchup of the year. 

Tuesday’s game was the last league contest for the Pirates, while the Legends have one more on Wednesday before potentially qualifying to meet the Power in the playoffs. 

The Legends have played well against the Pirates throughout the season, but the last time they played, the Pirates flipped the script and beat the Legends 10-0.

This matchup was the best of the year with multiple late score changes. It looked like the Legends had bested their CPCL rivals once again until the Pirates came up with a clutch hit in the ninth to seal the victory. 

Costly errors at the start of the game allowed the Legends to cash in an unearned run in the first.

The Legends had a strong rally in the third behind a hard-hit RBI single from Moon Eom and a double from Sean Boscovich.

The Legends held their commanding lead until the fourth inning when the Pirates were finally able to make some noise. 

A leadoff walk and error allowed Cole Koniarsky to advance to third. Anthony Vasquez then hit a fly ball to center field, prompting Coniarksy to tag up. The throw beat Coniarsky by 10 feet, but he dodged the catcher’s tag to give the Pirates their first run.

Later in the inning, with two outs, Brett Bowers hit an RBI single to center to cut the Legends’ lead to 3-2. 

The Pirates began the sixth inning with singles from Coniarsky and Aidan Haller, who subsequently advanced to second and third on a fielder’s choice. With runners in scoring position, Sonny Rios hit a ground ball to the right side, allowing Coniarsky to score and tie up the ball game. 

On the mound, the Pirates’ pitching leaned on the team’s momentum and put up four consecutive scoreless frames. 

The Legends finally looked dangerous again in the top of the eighth after David Hays hit a leadoff double down the left field line. 

It looked like the Pirates were going to get out of the jam until Doug Allen hit a single to right with two outs to give the Legends the late lead. 

The Pirates battled back immediately in the bottom of the inning, with Adrian Diaz smoking a leadoff single to set the tone. Coniarsky got involved again, hitting another single to advance Diaz into scoring position. 

The Legends made two quick outs but allowed the runners to advance to second and third. The Pirates needed someone to come up clutch, and Sonny Rios answered the call again, this time hitting a single up the middle to drive in two runs and give the Pirates the lead heading into the ninth. 

Anthony Vasquez made three quick outs to give the Pirates a 5-4 win over the Legends. 

Vasquez pitched four innings in relief, allowing only one run and earning the win. 

Rios drove in three of the Pirates’ five runs and Coniarsky had three of the team’s eight hits.  

The Pirates 2024 CPCL schedule is now complete, but the team will have a few more non-league exhibitions this weekend. The Legends will play a winner-take-all game against the San Diego Wave, with the winner earning a spot in the CPCL playoff.

Bucs take dramatic win over Pirates

Max Suckley

After an 0-2 away series in Palm Springs, the Pirates returned home to Scolinos Field at Cal Poly Pomona to battle the Bucs. 

The struggling Pirates were still looking for their second win of the season, but they wouldn’t find it today. The games were the Pirates’s most impressive in weeks, but they still fell short, losing 3-2. 

The Pirates have not been able to put up nine innings of quality pitching in a row in most of their games this year. Today they did. 

Wyatt Johnson started the game, throwing three scoreless innings to set the tone. 

Evan Evita hit a double to center field to score one in the third and give the Pirates a lead. The Bucs responded with a two-run rally in the top of the fourth. 

The Pirates were not able to respond immediately, but they did find another run in the fifth to level the score. 

On the mound, Anthony Vasquez showcased his mastery once again. Vasquez has been the Pirates’ best pitcher thus far, and he added three no-hit innings in this outing. 

Chad Green held the tie before being replaced by Garrett Patterson, who was tasked with pitching the final two innings with the hope of earning a save or win. 

On the other side, the Bucs rode the arm of Moises Escobedo. Escobedo came in after the Bucs gave up the run in the fifth and he was fantastic. 

The Bucs offense finally broke the deadlock on an RBI single up the middle from Jarrod Hocking.

After three scoreless frames, it looked like Escobedo would finally forfeit a run to the Pirates in the bottom of the ninth inning after Patterson hit a hard leadoff single.

Patterson subsequently stole second, putting the tying run in scoring position and giving the Pirates hope that they could turn their fortune around. 

Michael Rodda appeared to have tied the game as he smoked a ground ball up the middle, but the ball was shockingly stopped by Escobedo, who spun around and caught the ball behind his back without ever seeing it. 

Patterson was caught between second and third, and Escobedo promptly threw him out, diminishing the Pirates’ momentum and hopes. 

For Patterson, the moment was on a long list of frustrating moments from the day. Patterson barreled up the ball twice early in the game, but both would-be doubles were hit straight to outfielders. 

Patterson has consistently hit the ball hard over the past few weeks, but he always seems to hit it straight to outfielders. While not seeing the rewards statistically, Patterson recognizes that it is part of the game and knows he will reap the benefits eventually. 

“At first, it’s very frustrating because I want to help the team by getting on base and moving runners over or driving them in,” said Patterson. “Those balls that I’m hitting are gap-to-gap, but they keep getting caught so it’s frustrating, but in the future, those balls are going to land, and once they do, the floodgates will be open.”

The Pirates have not always played the best, but they have certainly played better than their record reflects. While there have been definite struggles, it also feels that fortune has not favored the Pirates, which is best exemplified by Escobedo’s play in the ninth. 

“Baseball is baseball, plays like that happen, but I have to keep pushing because it’s a new day tomorrow,” Patterson said. “We might not have won this one, but we have to keep pushing. We hung with the Power the night before and we hung with the Bucs today. We can compete, we just need a little bit of luck, because we’ve been unfortunate lately.”

Bucs hold off late comeback from Pirates

Max Suckley

It was an active day on Bonita High School’s practice field with dozens of students playing soccer, field hockey, and football. Just past this field, the CPCL’s Bucs and Pirates met to play a Wednesday game at Bonita’s baseball stadium. 

Both teams have gotten off to a slow start to their seasons and will need to turn things around quickly to qualify for the CPCL playoffs, which take place in just over a month. 

The first four innings of the game flew by. Pirates pitcher Noe Novella was excellent, allowing only three baserunners in his four-inning outing. 

Novella had a hiccup in the third, allowing the Bucs to score one, but it was largely because of bad luck as a ground ball hit the lip of the infield causing the routine out to bounce high over the shortstop’s head. 

Pirates pitching got into trouble early in the fifth, giving up three runs due to a myriad of walks, hit batters, and passed balls until Evan Evita came in to clean things up. Evita cooled off the Bucs’ momentum by throwing 2.2 scoreless innings. 

After being shut out through five, the Pirates finally got on the board with a two-RBI line drive home run to left from shortstop Isaiah Walz. The home run was the first for Walz and the first for the Pirates this summer. 

The Pirates were able to get a lot of traffic during the seventh but were unable to cash anything in after some untimely baserunning mistakes and failure to execute at the plate.  

The Bucs added two insurance runs in the eighth inning to extend their lead to 6-2 heading into the ninth. The Pirates’ defense has been good throughout the summer, but an error early in the inning gave the Bucs extra life and caused both runs to be scored as unearned. 

Despite the four-run deficit, the Pirates showed a lot of fight in the ninth. A full-count walk and a hard single into left field gave some hope for a Pirates comeback. 

With two runners on and the tying runner on deck, Steven Mara made a massive dent in the Bucs’ lead by mauling a three-run home run far past the left-field fence. 

The blast was not only Mara’s first home run this season but also his first hit this season. The slow start was tough to deal with for Mara since he has not had many live at-bats in the past few months due to injury. 

Finally getting a hit, and it being a clutch home run was a great moment and a great relief for Mara. 

“It felt like a bit of a relief,” said Mara. “[It was a} weight lifted off my shoulders and gives me something to work off of for upcoming at-bats.” 

The Pirates were able to get the tying run on first with two outs, but catcher Alex Cummings cut the runner down trying to steal second, ending the game with a final score of 6-5. 

The Pirates are now 1-6 on the year, while the Bucs improved to 3-5-1. 

The Pirates will play again on Thursday, this time against the Legends at Cal Poly Pomona’s Scolinos Field. The Bucs will have the day off before also going to Scolinos Field to match up with the Pirates for the second time this week. 

Legends one-hit Pirates in first matchup

Max Suckley

The warm, early-summer sun shone down upon Scolinos Field in Pomona, where the Pirates met with the Legends for their first matchup of the year. A breeze cooled the field temperature and blew the flowers off the still-blooming Jacaranda trees in right field.

The Legends got their offense going in the bottom of the second with a leadoff double from Justin Cabada. On the next pitch, Moonhyeonn Eom laid an immaculate bunt down the third base line to move Cabada to third and get himself on with an infield single.  

After a sac fly scoring Cadaba, Nathan Hellein came up and hit a deep drive to left that skipped off the top of the wall for a double, scoring Eom and extending the lead to 2-0. 

The game became tranquil until it was the Legends’ turn to hit in the fifth. After two quick outs to start the inning, the Legends unexpectedly commenced a major rally. The Legends did not have to hit the ball hard or at all; they simply had to stand in the box as Pirates pitched, hit a shocking five batters, and walked another two. 

The Pirates’ self-inflicted damage allowed the Legends to score four runs on a two-out rally in which they did not log a single hit. 

On the other side of the ball, the Legends were spectacular. Rising freshman Gavin Reeve took the mound and dominated from start to finish. Reeve worked fast each inning, limiting Pirate traffic, momentum, and hard contact. 

The ex-factor for Reeve was his utilization of his changeup, which created soft contact early in at-bats. 

“I was able to get some early contact, and my changeup was working really well, so I just lived with it early,” said Reeve. 

Reeve was so dominant that he took a perfect game into the third and a no-hitter into the seventh. Even after giving up the leadoff single that broke up the no-hitter, Reeve stayed composed and quickly got a pop-out and a double play to get out of the inning. 

Over seven innings, Reeve allowed one hit, no runs, and two walks on only 75 pitches. 

Reeve pitched extremely well, but he also benefited from the help of the stellar defense that made a myriad of miraculous plays behind him all day. 

“Our defense showed up today. In Palm Springs, we had a total of 12 errors in two games, and we had zero today, so that really made a difference,” said head coach Matt Cordero. 

The Pirates finally got multiple baserunners on in the eighth, but were only able to score one run on a wild pitch before being shut down. 

The Legends answered the Pirates’ sole run in the bottom of the inning with a well-executed sac fly from Eom to extend the lead to 7-1. 

Eom stood out today and has been one of the Legends’ most eye-opening players thus far.

“Moon has surprised me, he made some plays this last week that surprised me,” Cordero said. “He laid down a bunt early and came up with a big sac fly… He’s been a very productive player for us, and I look forward to seeing him the rest of the season.”.

Garret Halbiesen struck out the side in the top of the ninth to hold the Pirates to one lonely hit and end the game in just under two hours. 

This was the Legends’ second win of the season after beating the Bucs earlier this week. Beating two conference opponents back-to-back was validating for the team after a tough start in Palm Springs.  

“Honestly, they owned us last year, so it felt good… It was good to see that we can compete against both the Pirates and the Bucs,” Cordero said. 

Both teams will play Friday, with the Legends in Palm Springs taking on the Power and the Pirates at Scolinos Field against the South Bay Saints.

Pirates take down Bucs on 2024 CPCL Opening Day

Max Suckley

The morning marine layer cleared out towards the east, allowing the summer sun to shine down upon the Cougar baseball complex in Azusa. 

It was here, where the crack of bats, the pop of gloves, and the cheering of fans returned to the Inland Valley for the 2024 season opener of the California Premier Collegiate League. 

The Inland Valley Pirates led by Charlie Reynoso squared off with Rick Vanderhook’s Inland Valley Bucs for the first game of the season.

The Bucs wasted no time in making noise as Jake Long drove in the teams’ leadoff hitter with a single up the middle. Jacob Klinovsky came up next and smoked a high fastball over the left field wall for a towering, two RBI opposite-field home run.  

“I feel great it’s opening day and it felt like a dream to barrel the ball up and away and let the hands work,” said Klinovsky 

The Pirates fought back immediately scoring a run in the bottom of the first on an errant throw by the Bucs catcher. In the second, Landon Greenhouse smacked a leadoff double before scoring on an RBI single from Adrian Diaz. Moses Medrano promptly drove Diaz in on an RBI single of his own to tie the contest. 

The Pirates’ ability to claw back can be registered to the hard work put in by their hitters.

“It’s hours and hours of work every day, just hitting and making sure that the hours you put in translate when you get into the game,” said Greenhouse.

The Pirates took the lead in the fourth after stifling the Bucs in the top of the inning, then scoring five of their own in the bottom of the frame. The Pirates scored all five runs without getting a hit as Bucs pitching walked six batters and hit one.  

While the Pirates started to rev their offense up, the Bucs struggled to capitalize on their first-inning momentum and failed to score in three consecutive innings. 

The Bucs’ offensive moratorium finally ended in the fifth inning when the top of the lineup came up for a third time. Klinovsky once again launched a no-doubt home run, this time down the right-field line for his second two-RBI homer of the day.

Klinovsky saw the ball well all day and was very confident going up to the plate after his first at-bat. 

“I was getting ready to hit a beach ball, just get on top of something, get behind it, and let the body work,” Klinovsky said. 

 The Bucs added two more runs in the inning to bring the game within one run. 

The Pirates answered in the bottom half of the inning scoring six runs on a seemingly never-ending two-out rally — widening their lead to 14-7. The Pirates impressively put seven runners on and scored all six runs after the second out was made. 

The Pirates added another two in the sixth, along with shutting down the Bucs offense again. The Bucs had big innings against pitchers Noe Novella and Andrew Nesson, but the Pirates hurlers were able to shut them down in subsequent innings. 

The Pirates’ third pitcher of the game, Mason Smith was able to hold the Bucs scoreless across his first two innings. 

Smith was able to stall a ninth-inning rally from the Bucs, but not before they tallied three runs to make the final score 16-10. 

The Pirates are excited about the upcoming season after their offensive outburst in the season opener. “I’m pumped up and I like that the work doesn’t stop and I have to go harder and do it again,” Greenhouse said. 

The Pirates’ next action is a double-header this Sunday against the Palm Springs Power at Cal Poly Pomona.

D2 Regional Features 17 Inland Valley Players

ivbaseball

After winning both the regular season and postseason CCAA championship, Cal Poly Pomona secured the No. 1 seed in the western regional of the Division 2 tournament.

They will host the regional tournament at Mt. Sac starting Thursday morning at 11 a.m.

This specific tournament has extra significance for the Inland Valley Baseball Association because 17 of its players will be represented between four of the participating schools with one goal in mind – to make the World Series in

Joining the Broncos are No. 2 Azusa Pacific, No. 3 Cal Baptist and No. 6 Point Loma.

Cal Poly has 12 including: (Ryan Alsworth, Jacob Bernardy, Kyle Garlick, Christian Kelley, Michael Koval, Jason Padlo, Cody Ponce, Jonathon Reynoso, Matt Reynoso, Caleb Romo, Eric Trask and Michael Zidek)

Azusa Pacific has two: (Jacob Cage and Blake James)

Cal Baptist has two: (AJ David and Alec Morabito)

Point Loma has one: (Jack Spohn)

Below is the schedule for the first two days of the tournament.

Thursday, May 14
11:00 am – Game 3: #3 Cal Baptist vs. #4 Dixie State
3:00 pm – Game 2: #2 Azusa Pacific vs. #5 UC San Diego
7:00 pm – Game 1: #1 Cal Poly Pomona vs. #6 Point Loma

Friday, May 15
11:00 am – Game 4: Loser game 1 vs. Loser game 2
3:00 pm – Game 5: Winner game 1 vs. Loser game 3
7:00 pm – Game 6: Winner game 2 vs. Winner game 3

Bucs 2015 Season Preview

ivbaseball

The Bucs return nine players from last year’s inaugural season.

Kevin Riley
Kevin Riley

SCCBL all-stars Gerardo Ramirez, Kevin Riley and Miles Ryan are all back to build what they started into a playoff contender.

Riley was one of the standout offensive players in the entire league in 2014. He lead the team in batting average (.368), on base (.461) and slugging (483), while seemingly coming up with a big hit every single time the Bucs needed him to come through.

Ryan came on strong in the last month of the season en route to be named player of the week once. He finished with a .350 batting clip, .409 OBP and .400 SLG. He was also a stabilizing force behind home plate defensively.

Ramirez logged the most innings at 42. He finished 3-2 with a 3.43 ERA and 32 strikeouts.

Continue reading “Bucs 2015 Season Preview” →

Pirates 2015 Season Preview

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The Pirates return 14 players from their SCCBL 2015 regular season co-championship team.

Andrew Alavarez pre game
Andrew Alvarez

Former SCCBL all-stars Andrew Alvarez, Kyle Jackson, Jonny Reynoso, Anthony Virgen and Nathan Virgen are all back to help the club improve to the next level after last season’s successful 26-8 finish.

Alvarez posted gaudy numbers, while dominating the competition in 2014. The Houston Baptist senior-to-be earned Pitcher of the Month honors in June, while finishing 5-0 with a 2.42 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 44.2 innings. He did damage with the bat as well, finishing with a .341 batting average and leading the team with 31 hits for the season. Continue reading “Pirates 2015 Season Preview” →