JV SPLITS FINAL 2 WITH RSM
Heading into the final week of league play, the Lancers needed a sweep of Rancho Santa Margarita to finish in first place. The Lancers scored a victory Monday night with a 3-2 win over RSM which featured a strong outing by starter Joe Duffin (5ip, 0r, 6h, 2bb, 5k). RSM made it close in the 7th scoring twice before Matt Egan (1ip, 0r, 2h, 1K) closed the door to pick up the save. At the plate Tommy Bell (2-3) was the only Lancer who had a multiple hit game. But it was the bottom half of the lineup that did the damage in their half of the 2nd when 3 Lancers scored on consecutive hits by John Montgomery, Vaughn Casey, John Collard, and Griffin Haupert. That made Game 2 a winner-take-all for bragging rights contest. Unfortunately, the Lancers came up short in their Wednesday 8-2 loss which again featured strong pitching. But this day it was the RSM starter who tossed a complete game limiting OLu to two runs on just 4 hits. Troy Donofrio (5.1ip, 2er, 5h, 3bb, 2k) took the loss but pitched well as the defense committed 4 errors leading to 4 unearned runs. The game was close throughout and it looked as if it was going to be tied when Bell’s double off the left field fence which somehow stayed in the park was unable to push a run across the plate to knot-up the score at 3. RSM broke it open in their half of the 6th with 5 runs to seal the victory and league title. The Lancers finished 2nd in league with a 9-5 record, 17-8 overall.
LANCERS POUND SERVITE, 10-1
OLu started fast and never looked back scoring 4 in the 1st and 2nd to spot starting pitcher John Montgomery with more than enough support. Montgomery (4ip, 1er, 3h, 1bb, 1hbp, 7k) earned the win as the tall right-hander had his best outing of the year. The Lancers pounded out 11 hits in 5 innings before the lights darkened the field and suspending the game. The offense was led by Tommy Bell (2-3, 2 2b, 4rbis) with Jason Martin, Travis Blue and Joe Duffin adding 2 hits apiece including a first inning 2-run triple by Duffin.
JV TOPS SERVITE 14-9
Benefiting from 6 errors and 10 unearned runs, the Lancers topped Servite in a game that was called after 6 innings due to time limit. What started as a well played game with good pitching, defense and hitting through 3 innings and OLu committing the lone error at that point and leading 3-2, quickly turned south at the half way point. Over the final 3 innings the two teams combined for 8 errors, 6 committed by the Friars accounting for 11 of the 14 Lancer runs in which 10 were unearned. The Lancers allowed 3 unearned runs of the 9 they gave up. The Lancers offense pounded out 12 hits with Jason Martin and Tommy Bell collecting 3 apiece and Teddy Squilanti with 2. And Joe Duffin showed good plate discipline walking 4 times. Starting pitcher, Troy Donofrio (4ip, 5r, 4er, 6h, 1bb, 4k, 1hbp) picked up his 7th win of the season as 3 additional relief pitchers were used over the next 2 innings to close out the game for the Lancers.
JV COULD NOT HOLD ON
The Lancers could not hold on to a 4-run lead late in the game and lost to JSerra in extra innings, 10-9. This was the Lancers 5th 1-run loss of the year. Leading 9-5 entering the lower half of the 6th, JSerra was able to use 7 hits, 1 error and 2 hit batters to push across 2 in both the 6th and 7th and 1 in the 8th off 2 Lancer relievers. Lancer starting pitcher John Montgomery (4ip, 5r, 2er, 7h, 2bb, 2k) was victimized by 6 defensive errors but was still in line to earn the victory as he was removed with a 6-5 lead. The Lancers offense added 3 more runs in the 6th to gain that 4 run lead. Offensively, eight Lancer hitters accumulated 13 hits. Conner Sullivan, Joe Duffin, Robby Mansfield, Teddy Squilanti, and Chris Wichmann each contributed 2 hits apiece. Mansfield along with Travis Blue and John Collard knocked in 2 runs each.
JV HANGS ON TO WIN 8-6.
The Lancers came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat JSerra for the second time in as many games. Troy Donofrio picked up the win (4r, 3er, 5h, 0bb, 1hbp) going 5.1 innings before being replaced by Joe Duffin (1.2ip, 2r, 2er, 4h, 1bb, 2k) who completed the game picking up the save while stranding the potential tying and go-ahead runners on base. The Lancers got 10 hits in the game lead by Travis Blue who had a perfect night at the plate (4-4, 2rbi, 2dbls, 1r, 1sb). Jason Martin added 2 singles. The difference in the game came down to “freebies” allowed by each team. The Lancers issued just 1 walk and 1 hit batter with neither of them coming around to score while JSerra pitchers allowed 6 walks and 2 hit batters, 4 of which scored.
BOSCO BLANKS LANCERS
It was a cold night and the Lancers never warmed up as they were shut out for the first time this season, 5-0. Bosco starting pitcher faced just 1 over the minimum in his complete game performance as three double plays erased 3 of the 4 Lancer base runners who reached with 3 singles and a walk. The defensive performance was not as crisp as the weather as 4 errors were committed which did not help a good starting performance by starting pitcher Troy Donofrio (5ip, 3r, 1er, 5h,1bb,1hbp, 3k). But they did turn 2 double plays and Donofrio picked off two base runners. Matt Egan finished the game in relief (2ip, 2r, 1er, 2h, 3bb, 2k).
JV COMPLETES SWEEP OF MD
The Lancers completed the season sweep over league rival Mater Dei winning all three contests taking the final 8-5. Supported by a productive offense that posted 5 runs after 2 innings, starting pitcher John Montgomery (5ip, 4er, 6h, 2bb, 2k) picked up the victory by keeping the Monarchs off the scoreboard until the 4th inning when MD was able to string together 4 consecutive hits surrounding a walk and posting 4 runs off Montgomery. Cody Shopshire (2ip, 1er, 2h, 1bb, 1hbp, 1k) finished on the hill in relief. Leading the offensive 9-hit attack with multiple hits were Jason Martin (2-2, 2r, 2bb) and Robbie Mansfield (2-4, 1dbl, 2rbi). Joe Duffin and Tommy Bell added 2rbis each. Some nice defensive plays helped limit the Monarchs run production. Three base runners were thrown out at third base, 2 attempting to steal but caught by catcher Nolan Rogers, and the other trying to take 3rd on a 5-3 ground ball out but Duffin fired across the diamond to record the third out of MD's 4-run 4th.
JV POUNDS MATER DEI, 11-5
The Lancers scored early and often as they easily beat an opponent who committed 3 errors in the field. Lancer starter Troy Donofrio (5.1ip, 3er, 5h, 2bb, 3k) prevented MD from creating a couple big innings as he picked up his 5th win of the season. Joe Duffin (1.2ip, 2er, 3h, 1bb, 1k), primarily used as a starter, came in on relief to close the game. Offensively, the Lancers, who pounded out 12 hits, were led by Robby Mansfield (3-4, 2dbl, 4rbi) and Jason Martin (2-4, 2r, 1rbi, 1dbl, 1hr), who followed his 1st inning double off the wall with his first home run of the year in the 2nd. Tommy Bell (2-3, 1rbi, 2dbl) added to the offensive attack.
JV GOES 2-2 IN JSERRA TOURNEY
The Lancers finished at .500 for the JSerra JV Tournament as they dropped two heart-breakers being unable to hold on to late inning leads. Game 1 vs Tesoro was decided by one run. Up 4-1 going into the final inning, the Lancers surrendered 4 runs to the home team in the bottom of the 7th. Starter Troy Donofrio was in line for the win as he pitched well (4ip, 0er, 2h, 3bb) and aided by some good defensive plays lead by CF Jason Martin tracking down some deep fly balls. The Lancers produced 8 hits on the day with Joe Duffin leading the offensive (3-4, 2rbi, 1dbl, 1r). Game 2 vs University ended in a 6-4 victory. Starter John Montgomery picked with the win for his efforts on the mound (5ip, 3er, 6h, 1bb, 1hbp, 2k) with Leh Shyu picking up the save (1ip, 0r, 1h). The Lancers were led offensively by Jason Martin (3-3, 3rbi, 1r, 1dbl, 1trpl) accounting for almost half of the Lancers 7 hits. Game 3 was a 10-4 6 inning win over Long Beach Poly. The game was called in the 7th due to time limit as the Lancers were trying to hold on to a 10-9 lead. The final score resorted back to the last completed inning. Joe Duffin (4ip, 4er, 6h, 2bb, 4k) picked up the win and Chris Wichmann (2ip, 0r, 2h) pitched a solid two innings. The Lancers pounded out 10 hits led by Connor Sullivan (3-3,1rbi, 1r, 2sb) and Tommy Bell (2-2, 2b, 3r, 1rbi). The Final game vs San Clemente ended similar to game one of the tournament. Starter Brent Wheatley (3ip, 0r, 0h, 3bb, 5k) pitched extremely well and Cody Shopshire (2ip, 0r, 1h, 0bb, 2k) followed suit. Leading 3-0 going into the bottom half of the 6th, the Lancer's pen got roughed up as San Clemente bats came alive and plated 7 runs on 7 hits including 4 straight doubles breaking to take a commanding 7-3 lead which is how the game ended. The Lancers struggled offensively at the plate as they were only able to record 5 hits, 3 being of the extra base hit variety (doubles) by Martin, Cole Williams, and Zach Yeager.
JV HANGS ON TO WIN 4-3 THRILLER
It was loud and pressure packed as the Lancers came away with a victory in dramatic fashion as the host team, Santa Margarita, was chasing 1 run with the bases loaded and 1 out in the bottom of the seventh. The game was a one run contest through 6 innings as the Eagles scored first on two consecutive hits off of starter Brent Wheatley (5ip,1er, 3h, 1bb, 2hbp, 4k) in the first inning. But that was all he would allow as he settled in nicely picking up the win. Wheatley exited the game up 2-1 benefiting from 2 unearned runs scored in the top of the fifth. The Lancers had 10 hits on the day but they were not strung together and had only one extra base hit coming in the top of the 7th by Connor Sullivan (3-4, 1rbi, 1r) who popped up behind first base and legged it into a double following a one out walk. After the second out was retired, Tommy Bell (1-3, 2rbi) again found the outfield grass with a perfectly placed pop up that brought in two additional runs giving the Lancers a 4-1. Travis Blue added 2 hits on the day and a run scored. Joe Duffin (1.1ip, 2er, 1h, 2bb, 1hbp, 1k). relieved Wheatley and tossed a scoreless 6th. But he ran into trouble in the 7th and left with a 4-1 lead. With one out and the bases loaded, Cody Shopshire came into the game and after a soft flair to center and a wild pitch cut the lead to one. With first base open, an intentional walk loaded the bases to set up a possible game ending DP. Shopshire was able to retire the next batter on strikes and induced a fly ball to shallow left field to end the game and pick up the save amongst the emotionally charged home field crowd.
JV FALLS TO SERVITE, 6-5.
The Lancers posted an early 3-0 lead by taking advantage of 2 Servite errors in the 3rd inning and an RBI single by Joe Duffin. But Servite answered back in the 4th scoring 4 of their own on six hits chasing starter John Montgomery (3.2ip, 4er, 5h, 3bb, 4k) and pinning him with the loss. Chris Wickmann (1.2ip, 2r, 1er, 3h, 3bb 1k) relieved Montgomery and worked into the 6th inning before being replaced by Leh Shyu who closed out that frame. Zack Yeager (1ip, 1h, 1bb) pitched a scoreless 7th to keep the game within striking distance. The Lancers made a valiant effort in the 7th. Down 6-3 and only accumulating 2 hits at that point, pinch hitter Teddy Squilanti lead off the 7th with single followed by Cole Williams with one of his own to bringing the tying run to the plate with no outs. After a sharply hit liner to first by Travis Blue, Jason Martin delivered a single through the 1st & 2nd to bring in two and cut the lead to one. The Lancers were able to load the bases on Servite’s 4th error of the game and a walk but were unsuccessful in bringing the tying run across.
LANCERS OVER JSERRA, 11-3
A dozen Lancers were handed first base on the day (5hbp, 7bb) which accounted for 7 of their runs and another one being of the unearned variety. The Lancers posted their 11 runs on 10 hits led by Connor Sullivan who had a big day at the plate going 4-5 with a double and 4rbis. Multiple hit days were also provided by Joe Duffin (2-4, 2-2B) and Tommy Bell (2-3, 2B, 2rbi). Lancer starter, Troy Donofrio (4ip, 2r, 1er, 4h, 2bb, 4k), exited the game with a 3-2 lead and earned the win. Three relievers kept the Lions in tact while the Lancers offense scored 8 times in the final 3 frames. Brett Wheatley (1.1ip, 1er, 3h, 0bb, 1hbp, 2k) began the 5th and after reaching his pitch count allocation in the 6th with a runner on base and one out, was relieved by Cody Shopshire (0.2ip, 0r, 0h, 1k) to clean up in which he retired the two batters he faced. Matt Egan (1ip, 0h, 1bb, 2k) pitched a scoreless 7th.
JV COMES UP SHORT IN 5-4 LOSS
St John Bosco took advantage of a late inning opportunity and prevailed in a one run game that could have been a runaway by either team. Lack of timely hitting from both teams kept the game close and together stranded 24 runners on the bases. The Lancers were also aided by a pair of double plays to shutdown two Bosco scoring threats. The Lancers scored 4 runs on 9 hits lead by Joe Duffin (3-4, 2b, 2rbi) with Conner Sullivan and Robbie Mansfield adding 2 hits apiece and Nolan Rogers collected 2rbi with a double and a sac fly. The Lancers were handed 5 free passes on the day (3bb, 2hbp) of which 3 of them came around to score. Bosco, however, capitalized on 11 free passes (7bb, 4hbp) while scoring 5 runs on just 6 hits and 3 Lancer errors. Starter Joe Duffin left the game tied and took a no decision for his 3.2 innings of work (4er, 4h, 6bb, 1hbp, 3k). Leh Shyu (2ip, 1uer, 2h, 3hbp, 1bb) came in relief and pitched out of the fourth inning jam only to be the hard luck recipient of the loss due to an unearned run allowed in the 5th behind back to back errors to open up the frame. Shyu loaded the bases with 2 outs in the 6th giving way to Cody Shopshire who recorded the last out to keep the game at 5-4. The Lancers got a rally going in the 7th by putting two runners on base but were unable to push one across.
JV HANGS ON TO WIN 1-0
The Lancers pushed across a run in the first inning on a walk, a miss-played ground ball and an error. Little did the Lancers know this proved to be the difference in the game. Jason Martin led the Lancers offensively with a SAC bunt and 2 of the teams 7 hits. There was not an extra base hit in the game by either team and the Lancers left 10 runners on base. Lancer starter, Brent Wheatley (3.1ip,0r,0h,6k,5bb,1hbp), did not allow a hit but was replaced by Troy Donofrio in the 4th after issuing his 5th walk of the night. Donofrio (2.2ip,0r,2h,4k,0bb) kept the shutout intact with some nice defensive plays behind him including a snagged line drive to Wheatley with the tying run at 3rd and a back pick to first base by Joe Duffin to eliminate a scoring opportunity late in the game. He picked up the win for his efforts. After a leadoff single in the 7th, Matt Egan came in and recorded the save. However, he was greeted by a single to the first batter faced giving Mater Dei 1st and 2nd with no outs. He proceeded to strike out the next two batters. The final out of the game was a defensive web-gem as Connor Sullivan had to spin around, stretch out and glove a slicing shot high and deep into the left field corner.
JV SWEEPS EL DORADO IN TWIN BILL
JV takes both games of the double header accumulating 25 runs on 27 hits and winning decisively 13-8 in game 1 and 12-3 in the nightcap. The first game featured Joe Duffin starting on the mound (4ip, 1r, 1h, 3bb, 4k) with Chris Wichmann tossing the 5th and Matt Egan the final two frames. Offensively the Lancers pounded out 13 hits led by Travis Blue and Conner Sullivan with 3 hits each and a pair of doubles and Blue driving in 5 runs. Tommy Bell and Jason Martin each added a pair of hits with Bell legging out a triple and scoring 4 runs. The second game started out exactly like the first as the Lancers jumped out early scoring 5 in the first inning with the aid of 4 Hawk errors and the 5th long ball of the season for Tommy Bell (2-5, 4 rbi). Others productive at the plate were Teddy Squilanti (3-5, 2b, 2rbi) with John Collard and Sullivan adding 2 hits each. John Montgomery started on the hill (4ip, 2r, 2h, 1bb, 3k) picking up the victory and Leh Shyu tossed the final 3 innings (1r, 3h, 1hbp, 3k) notching his first save of the season.
JV EDGED BY REDLANDS E.V. 3-2
The Lancers ended up on the wrong side of a one-run contest in the championship game of the Centennial tournament. Redlands East Valley starting pitcher went the distance and held OLu to 2 runs, 1 earned, on just 5 hits while striking out 9 and stranding 7 runners on base. Tommy Bell continued to be productive at the plate leading the Lancers with 2 hits, one being an RBI triple. Lancer starter Troy Donofrio pitched well (4.1 IP, 3 runs, 7 hits 1BB, 4K) and Cody Shopshire kept the game in tact by working the last 1.2 innings, (0 runs, 0 hits, 1BB, 2K). Defensive highlights included a nice diving catch by Conner Sullivan in left field and catcher Joe Duffin throwing out 2 base runners attempting to steal 2nd.
JV BLANKS LA SERNA, 5 - 0
Pitching was the story in this game as the Lancer starter, Joe Duffin, was in complete control shutting down the La Serna bats by allowing just 1 hit, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts, and facing just 3 over the minimum through 6 innings. Cody Shopshire recorded the last 3 outs of the game to preserve the shutout. The Lancer bats cooled down a bit recording just 5 hits, 2 each from Duffin and Tommy Bell. But they were able to benefit from 9 free passes issued from La Serna pitchers, 3 of which went on to score in the 6th to break the game open. Bell recorded 3 more RBI's on the day with Duffin picking up one.
BELL LEADS JV TO A 13-0 VICTORY
Tommy Bell recorded 7 more RBI on a day where he homered in his second consecutive game to start off the season. But he didn’t go deep just once, not even twice, but 3 times! Connor Sullivan and Nolan Rogers added to the 11-hit attack with 2 hits a piece. Starting pitcher John Montgomery only needed the first of Bell’s bombs as he held Corona scoreless through 5 innings, striking out 8 and allowing just 4 hits without a walk.
JV STARTS OFF IN GRAND FASHION...
...with 10-6 win. Tommy Bell collected 5 RBI on the day, 4 on a first inning grand slam, to put the Lancers up early and Troy Donofrio had a strong start on the mound throwing 4 shutout innings allowing 2 hits and no walks. The Lancers posted 10 runs on 15 hits with Connor Sullivan, Joe Duffin and Griffin Haupert leading the way with 3 hits apiece. Glendora fought back with some timely hitting around some Lancer errors (5 on the day) to cut the lead to 4 runs. But Matt Egan came in to retire the last two batters of the game and secure the win.
Heading into the final week of league play, the Lancers needed a sweep of Rancho Santa Margarita to finish in first place. The Lancers scored a victory Monday night with a 3-2 win over RSM which featured a strong outing by starter Joe Duffin (5ip, 0r, 6h, 2bb, 5k). RSM made it close in the 7th scoring twice before Matt Egan (1ip, 0r, 2h, 1K) closed the door to pick up the save. At the plate Tommy Bell (2-3) was the only Lancer who had a multiple hit game. But it was the bottom half of the lineup that did the damage in their half of the 2nd when 3 Lancers scored on consecutive hits by John Montgomery, Vaughn Casey, John Collard, and Griffin Haupert. That made Game 2 a winner-take-all for bragging rights contest. Unfortunately, the Lancers came up short in their Wednesday 8-2 loss which again featured strong pitching. But this day it was the RSM starter who tossed a complete game limiting OLu to two runs on just 4 hits. Troy Donofrio (5.1ip, 2er, 5h, 3bb, 2k) took the loss but pitched well as the defense committed 4 errors leading to 4 unearned runs. The game was close throughout and it looked as if it was going to be tied when Bell’s double off the left field fence which somehow stayed in the park was unable to push a run across the plate to knot-up the score at 3. RSM broke it open in their half of the 6th with 5 runs to seal the victory and league title. The Lancers finished 2nd in league with a 9-5 record, 17-8 overall.
LANCERS POUND SERVITE, 10-1
OLu started fast and never looked back scoring 4 in the 1st and 2nd to spot starting pitcher John Montgomery with more than enough support. Montgomery (4ip, 1er, 3h, 1bb, 1hbp, 7k) earned the win as the tall right-hander had his best outing of the year. The Lancers pounded out 11 hits in 5 innings before the lights darkened the field and suspending the game. The offense was led by Tommy Bell (2-3, 2 2b, 4rbis) with Jason Martin, Travis Blue and Joe Duffin adding 2 hits apiece including a first inning 2-run triple by Duffin.
JV TOPS SERVITE 14-9
Benefiting from 6 errors and 10 unearned runs, the Lancers topped Servite in a game that was called after 6 innings due to time limit. What started as a well played game with good pitching, defense and hitting through 3 innings and OLu committing the lone error at that point and leading 3-2, quickly turned south at the half way point. Over the final 3 innings the two teams combined for 8 errors, 6 committed by the Friars accounting for 11 of the 14 Lancer runs in which 10 were unearned. The Lancers allowed 3 unearned runs of the 9 they gave up. The Lancers offense pounded out 12 hits with Jason Martin and Tommy Bell collecting 3 apiece and Teddy Squilanti with 2. And Joe Duffin showed good plate discipline walking 4 times. Starting pitcher, Troy Donofrio (4ip, 5r, 4er, 6h, 1bb, 4k, 1hbp) picked up his 7th win of the season as 3 additional relief pitchers were used over the next 2 innings to close out the game for the Lancers.
JV COULD NOT HOLD ON
The Lancers could not hold on to a 4-run lead late in the game and lost to JSerra in extra innings, 10-9. This was the Lancers 5th 1-run loss of the year. Leading 9-5 entering the lower half of the 6th, JSerra was able to use 7 hits, 1 error and 2 hit batters to push across 2 in both the 6th and 7th and 1 in the 8th off 2 Lancer relievers. Lancer starting pitcher John Montgomery (4ip, 5r, 2er, 7h, 2bb, 2k) was victimized by 6 defensive errors but was still in line to earn the victory as he was removed with a 6-5 lead. The Lancers offense added 3 more runs in the 6th to gain that 4 run lead. Offensively, eight Lancer hitters accumulated 13 hits. Conner Sullivan, Joe Duffin, Robby Mansfield, Teddy Squilanti, and Chris Wichmann each contributed 2 hits apiece. Mansfield along with Travis Blue and John Collard knocked in 2 runs each.
JV HANGS ON TO WIN 8-6.
The Lancers came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat JSerra for the second time in as many games. Troy Donofrio picked up the win (4r, 3er, 5h, 0bb, 1hbp) going 5.1 innings before being replaced by Joe Duffin (1.2ip, 2r, 2er, 4h, 1bb, 2k) who completed the game picking up the save while stranding the potential tying and go-ahead runners on base. The Lancers got 10 hits in the game lead by Travis Blue who had a perfect night at the plate (4-4, 2rbi, 2dbls, 1r, 1sb). Jason Martin added 2 singles. The difference in the game came down to “freebies” allowed by each team. The Lancers issued just 1 walk and 1 hit batter with neither of them coming around to score while JSerra pitchers allowed 6 walks and 2 hit batters, 4 of which scored.
BOSCO BLANKS LANCERS
It was a cold night and the Lancers never warmed up as they were shut out for the first time this season, 5-0. Bosco starting pitcher faced just 1 over the minimum in his complete game performance as three double plays erased 3 of the 4 Lancer base runners who reached with 3 singles and a walk. The defensive performance was not as crisp as the weather as 4 errors were committed which did not help a good starting performance by starting pitcher Troy Donofrio (5ip, 3r, 1er, 5h,1bb,1hbp, 3k). But they did turn 2 double plays and Donofrio picked off two base runners. Matt Egan finished the game in relief (2ip, 2r, 1er, 2h, 3bb, 2k).
JV COMPLETES SWEEP OF MD
The Lancers completed the season sweep over league rival Mater Dei winning all three contests taking the final 8-5. Supported by a productive offense that posted 5 runs after 2 innings, starting pitcher John Montgomery (5ip, 4er, 6h, 2bb, 2k) picked up the victory by keeping the Monarchs off the scoreboard until the 4th inning when MD was able to string together 4 consecutive hits surrounding a walk and posting 4 runs off Montgomery. Cody Shopshire (2ip, 1er, 2h, 1bb, 1hbp, 1k) finished on the hill in relief. Leading the offensive 9-hit attack with multiple hits were Jason Martin (2-2, 2r, 2bb) and Robbie Mansfield (2-4, 1dbl, 2rbi). Joe Duffin and Tommy Bell added 2rbis each. Some nice defensive plays helped limit the Monarchs run production. Three base runners were thrown out at third base, 2 attempting to steal but caught by catcher Nolan Rogers, and the other trying to take 3rd on a 5-3 ground ball out but Duffin fired across the diamond to record the third out of MD's 4-run 4th.
JV POUNDS MATER DEI, 11-5
The Lancers scored early and often as they easily beat an opponent who committed 3 errors in the field. Lancer starter Troy Donofrio (5.1ip, 3er, 5h, 2bb, 3k) prevented MD from creating a couple big innings as he picked up his 5th win of the season. Joe Duffin (1.2ip, 2er, 3h, 1bb, 1k), primarily used as a starter, came in on relief to close the game. Offensively, the Lancers, who pounded out 12 hits, were led by Robby Mansfield (3-4, 2dbl, 4rbi) and Jason Martin (2-4, 2r, 1rbi, 1dbl, 1hr), who followed his 1st inning double off the wall with his first home run of the year in the 2nd. Tommy Bell (2-3, 1rbi, 2dbl) added to the offensive attack.
JV GOES 2-2 IN JSERRA TOURNEY
The Lancers finished at .500 for the JSerra JV Tournament as they dropped two heart-breakers being unable to hold on to late inning leads. Game 1 vs Tesoro was decided by one run. Up 4-1 going into the final inning, the Lancers surrendered 4 runs to the home team in the bottom of the 7th. Starter Troy Donofrio was in line for the win as he pitched well (4ip, 0er, 2h, 3bb) and aided by some good defensive plays lead by CF Jason Martin tracking down some deep fly balls. The Lancers produced 8 hits on the day with Joe Duffin leading the offensive (3-4, 2rbi, 1dbl, 1r). Game 2 vs University ended in a 6-4 victory. Starter John Montgomery picked with the win for his efforts on the mound (5ip, 3er, 6h, 1bb, 1hbp, 2k) with Leh Shyu picking up the save (1ip, 0r, 1h). The Lancers were led offensively by Jason Martin (3-3, 3rbi, 1r, 1dbl, 1trpl) accounting for almost half of the Lancers 7 hits. Game 3 was a 10-4 6 inning win over Long Beach Poly. The game was called in the 7th due to time limit as the Lancers were trying to hold on to a 10-9 lead. The final score resorted back to the last completed inning. Joe Duffin (4ip, 4er, 6h, 2bb, 4k) picked up the win and Chris Wichmann (2ip, 0r, 2h) pitched a solid two innings. The Lancers pounded out 10 hits led by Connor Sullivan (3-3,1rbi, 1r, 2sb) and Tommy Bell (2-2, 2b, 3r, 1rbi). The Final game vs San Clemente ended similar to game one of the tournament. Starter Brent Wheatley (3ip, 0r, 0h, 3bb, 5k) pitched extremely well and Cody Shopshire (2ip, 0r, 1h, 0bb, 2k) followed suit. Leading 3-0 going into the bottom half of the 6th, the Lancer's pen got roughed up as San Clemente bats came alive and plated 7 runs on 7 hits including 4 straight doubles breaking to take a commanding 7-3 lead which is how the game ended. The Lancers struggled offensively at the plate as they were only able to record 5 hits, 3 being of the extra base hit variety (doubles) by Martin, Cole Williams, and Zach Yeager.
JV HANGS ON TO WIN 4-3 THRILLER
It was loud and pressure packed as the Lancers came away with a victory in dramatic fashion as the host team, Santa Margarita, was chasing 1 run with the bases loaded and 1 out in the bottom of the seventh. The game was a one run contest through 6 innings as the Eagles scored first on two consecutive hits off of starter Brent Wheatley (5ip,1er, 3h, 1bb, 2hbp, 4k) in the first inning. But that was all he would allow as he settled in nicely picking up the win. Wheatley exited the game up 2-1 benefiting from 2 unearned runs scored in the top of the fifth. The Lancers had 10 hits on the day but they were not strung together and had only one extra base hit coming in the top of the 7th by Connor Sullivan (3-4, 1rbi, 1r) who popped up behind first base and legged it into a double following a one out walk. After the second out was retired, Tommy Bell (1-3, 2rbi) again found the outfield grass with a perfectly placed pop up that brought in two additional runs giving the Lancers a 4-1. Travis Blue added 2 hits on the day and a run scored. Joe Duffin (1.1ip, 2er, 1h, 2bb, 1hbp, 1k). relieved Wheatley and tossed a scoreless 6th. But he ran into trouble in the 7th and left with a 4-1 lead. With one out and the bases loaded, Cody Shopshire came into the game and after a soft flair to center and a wild pitch cut the lead to one. With first base open, an intentional walk loaded the bases to set up a possible game ending DP. Shopshire was able to retire the next batter on strikes and induced a fly ball to shallow left field to end the game and pick up the save amongst the emotionally charged home field crowd.
JV FALLS TO SERVITE, 6-5.
The Lancers posted an early 3-0 lead by taking advantage of 2 Servite errors in the 3rd inning and an RBI single by Joe Duffin. But Servite answered back in the 4th scoring 4 of their own on six hits chasing starter John Montgomery (3.2ip, 4er, 5h, 3bb, 4k) and pinning him with the loss. Chris Wickmann (1.2ip, 2r, 1er, 3h, 3bb 1k) relieved Montgomery and worked into the 6th inning before being replaced by Leh Shyu who closed out that frame. Zack Yeager (1ip, 1h, 1bb) pitched a scoreless 7th to keep the game within striking distance. The Lancers made a valiant effort in the 7th. Down 6-3 and only accumulating 2 hits at that point, pinch hitter Teddy Squilanti lead off the 7th with single followed by Cole Williams with one of his own to bringing the tying run to the plate with no outs. After a sharply hit liner to first by Travis Blue, Jason Martin delivered a single through the 1st & 2nd to bring in two and cut the lead to one. The Lancers were able to load the bases on Servite’s 4th error of the game and a walk but were unsuccessful in bringing the tying run across.
LANCERS OVER JSERRA, 11-3
A dozen Lancers were handed first base on the day (5hbp, 7bb) which accounted for 7 of their runs and another one being of the unearned variety. The Lancers posted their 11 runs on 10 hits led by Connor Sullivan who had a big day at the plate going 4-5 with a double and 4rbis. Multiple hit days were also provided by Joe Duffin (2-4, 2-2B) and Tommy Bell (2-3, 2B, 2rbi). Lancer starter, Troy Donofrio (4ip, 2r, 1er, 4h, 2bb, 4k), exited the game with a 3-2 lead and earned the win. Three relievers kept the Lions in tact while the Lancers offense scored 8 times in the final 3 frames. Brett Wheatley (1.1ip, 1er, 3h, 0bb, 1hbp, 2k) began the 5th and after reaching his pitch count allocation in the 6th with a runner on base and one out, was relieved by Cody Shopshire (0.2ip, 0r, 0h, 1k) to clean up in which he retired the two batters he faced. Matt Egan (1ip, 0h, 1bb, 2k) pitched a scoreless 7th.
JV COMES UP SHORT IN 5-4 LOSS
St John Bosco took advantage of a late inning opportunity and prevailed in a one run game that could have been a runaway by either team. Lack of timely hitting from both teams kept the game close and together stranded 24 runners on the bases. The Lancers were also aided by a pair of double plays to shutdown two Bosco scoring threats. The Lancers scored 4 runs on 9 hits lead by Joe Duffin (3-4, 2b, 2rbi) with Conner Sullivan and Robbie Mansfield adding 2 hits apiece and Nolan Rogers collected 2rbi with a double and a sac fly. The Lancers were handed 5 free passes on the day (3bb, 2hbp) of which 3 of them came around to score. Bosco, however, capitalized on 11 free passes (7bb, 4hbp) while scoring 5 runs on just 6 hits and 3 Lancer errors. Starter Joe Duffin left the game tied and took a no decision for his 3.2 innings of work (4er, 4h, 6bb, 1hbp, 3k). Leh Shyu (2ip, 1uer, 2h, 3hbp, 1bb) came in relief and pitched out of the fourth inning jam only to be the hard luck recipient of the loss due to an unearned run allowed in the 5th behind back to back errors to open up the frame. Shyu loaded the bases with 2 outs in the 6th giving way to Cody Shopshire who recorded the last out to keep the game at 5-4. The Lancers got a rally going in the 7th by putting two runners on base but were unable to push one across.
JV HANGS ON TO WIN 1-0
The Lancers pushed across a run in the first inning on a walk, a miss-played ground ball and an error. Little did the Lancers know this proved to be the difference in the game. Jason Martin led the Lancers offensively with a SAC bunt and 2 of the teams 7 hits. There was not an extra base hit in the game by either team and the Lancers left 10 runners on base. Lancer starter, Brent Wheatley (3.1ip,0r,0h,6k,5bb,1hbp), did not allow a hit but was replaced by Troy Donofrio in the 4th after issuing his 5th walk of the night. Donofrio (2.2ip,0r,2h,4k,0bb) kept the shutout intact with some nice defensive plays behind him including a snagged line drive to Wheatley with the tying run at 3rd and a back pick to first base by Joe Duffin to eliminate a scoring opportunity late in the game. He picked up the win for his efforts. After a leadoff single in the 7th, Matt Egan came in and recorded the save. However, he was greeted by a single to the first batter faced giving Mater Dei 1st and 2nd with no outs. He proceeded to strike out the next two batters. The final out of the game was a defensive web-gem as Connor Sullivan had to spin around, stretch out and glove a slicing shot high and deep into the left field corner.
JV SWEEPS EL DORADO IN TWIN BILL
JV takes both games of the double header accumulating 25 runs on 27 hits and winning decisively 13-8 in game 1 and 12-3 in the nightcap. The first game featured Joe Duffin starting on the mound (4ip, 1r, 1h, 3bb, 4k) with Chris Wichmann tossing the 5th and Matt Egan the final two frames. Offensively the Lancers pounded out 13 hits led by Travis Blue and Conner Sullivan with 3 hits each and a pair of doubles and Blue driving in 5 runs. Tommy Bell and Jason Martin each added a pair of hits with Bell legging out a triple and scoring 4 runs. The second game started out exactly like the first as the Lancers jumped out early scoring 5 in the first inning with the aid of 4 Hawk errors and the 5th long ball of the season for Tommy Bell (2-5, 4 rbi). Others productive at the plate were Teddy Squilanti (3-5, 2b, 2rbi) with John Collard and Sullivan adding 2 hits each. John Montgomery started on the hill (4ip, 2r, 2h, 1bb, 3k) picking up the victory and Leh Shyu tossed the final 3 innings (1r, 3h, 1hbp, 3k) notching his first save of the season.
JV EDGED BY REDLANDS E.V. 3-2
The Lancers ended up on the wrong side of a one-run contest in the championship game of the Centennial tournament. Redlands East Valley starting pitcher went the distance and held OLu to 2 runs, 1 earned, on just 5 hits while striking out 9 and stranding 7 runners on base. Tommy Bell continued to be productive at the plate leading the Lancers with 2 hits, one being an RBI triple. Lancer starter Troy Donofrio pitched well (4.1 IP, 3 runs, 7 hits 1BB, 4K) and Cody Shopshire kept the game in tact by working the last 1.2 innings, (0 runs, 0 hits, 1BB, 2K). Defensive highlights included a nice diving catch by Conner Sullivan in left field and catcher Joe Duffin throwing out 2 base runners attempting to steal 2nd.
JV BLANKS LA SERNA, 5 - 0
Pitching was the story in this game as the Lancer starter, Joe Duffin, was in complete control shutting down the La Serna bats by allowing just 1 hit, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts, and facing just 3 over the minimum through 6 innings. Cody Shopshire recorded the last 3 outs of the game to preserve the shutout. The Lancer bats cooled down a bit recording just 5 hits, 2 each from Duffin and Tommy Bell. But they were able to benefit from 9 free passes issued from La Serna pitchers, 3 of which went on to score in the 6th to break the game open. Bell recorded 3 more RBI's on the day with Duffin picking up one.
BELL LEADS JV TO A 13-0 VICTORY
Tommy Bell recorded 7 more RBI on a day where he homered in his second consecutive game to start off the season. But he didn’t go deep just once, not even twice, but 3 times! Connor Sullivan and Nolan Rogers added to the 11-hit attack with 2 hits a piece. Starting pitcher John Montgomery only needed the first of Bell’s bombs as he held Corona scoreless through 5 innings, striking out 8 and allowing just 4 hits without a walk.
JV STARTS OFF IN GRAND FASHION...
...with 10-6 win. Tommy Bell collected 5 RBI on the day, 4 on a first inning grand slam, to put the Lancers up early and Troy Donofrio had a strong start on the mound throwing 4 shutout innings allowing 2 hits and no walks. The Lancers posted 10 runs on 15 hits with Connor Sullivan, Joe Duffin and Griffin Haupert leading the way with 3 hits apiece. Glendora fought back with some timely hitting around some Lancer errors (5 on the day) to cut the lead to 4 runs. But Matt Egan came in to retire the last two batters of the game and secure the win.
LANCERS AND MONARCHS DEADLOCKED!
Intended to be a "Mayday" call for the Monarchs, the Lancers visited Mater Dei on May 1st searching for a win in the final game of their season series - having lost a close one previously 2-1. The Lancers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead while starter Mark Heinecke struck out a handful of Monarchs and kept their bats in check until the 4th inning when a 2 run home run and a passed ball put the Lancers in a hole 3-2. As he had done in the last game, Mater Dei sophmore pitcher Chase Radan essentially shut down the Lancer bats again through his 5 innings. In the 4th, Matt Webster relieved Heinecke with 2 outs and catcher Zac Walker blocked a runner from scoring to end the inning. In the 5th, Erich Glastetter worked a walk, stole 2nd and 3rd, poised to score, but was left stranded 90' away from tying the game. Webster took control by striking out the side in order, and in the 6th both teams went down quietly. Top of 7, the Lancers were still trailing by 1 run and with 2 out Jason Long was HBP. Kyle Lazcano came in to pinch run for Long on 2nd base and following a hit by James Swenson slid home to tie the game! After the third out, the Lancers went back to work and held the Monarchs from scoring in both the 7th and 8th innings with Webster recording another 3 strikeouts. The game was called a tie after 8 complete innings, leaving a restless cloud of "what if", hanging over the ball field.
FROSH/SOPH CONTINUE WIN STREAK!
The Lancer F/S team visited the Los Alamitos Griffins for the 2nd game of their series and came out on top with a 7-3 win. With pitching from James Katsavalis, Travis Height, Jason Long and Mark Heinecke the Lancers were able to hold an aggressive Los Al team to only 3 runs. The Lancer's played error free baseball throughout this 7 inning game. Solid defense began in the 1st inning when Katsavalis used his lefty move to pick off a runner at first, and 1st baseman Philip Prendergast took a throw from catcher Lavance Reed to apply a hard tag for the 3rd out. In the 3rd inning, after Chaz Claunch drove in the first Lancer run, the offensive highlight of the game occurred with two outs on a Grand Slam home run from Travis Height down the right field line! Daniel Bramson added an RBI in the 6th - scoring Zac Walker, and Sean Pissani doubled to begin the last inning and scored when Erich Glastetter drove in the final RBI.
FROSH/SOPH OFFENSE EXPLODES
The Lancer Frosh/Soph offense showed up with a thunderous explosion at Santa Margarita. The Lancers jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning. The game was well in hand after an 8 run 3rd inning. The Lancers added another run in the 5th to seal a 13-5 victory over the Eagles of Santa Margarita.The Lancer offense was lead by Chaz Claunch (3 for 4 with 2 2B), Hunter Hurley also 3 for 4, and Travis Hight (3 for 4). Erich Glastetter, James Swenson, Lavance Reed, and Philip Prendergast also each added a hit. Lavance Reed had a rough second innings surrendering 4 of the Eagles 5 runs. Reed remained calm and stopped the Eagles from gaining any momentum in the 3rd. Philip Prendergast went 3 strong innings allowing only 1 run. Mark Heinecke wrapped the game up facing only 3 batters in the bottom of the 7th.
The Lancers look to keep the bats going against the Eagles again next Tuesday.
LANCERS DROP A TOUGH ONE
The Lancers showed they were able to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Sonora battling for 7 innings against Mater Dei. The Monarchs scored in the first, but the Lancer pitching was able to hold them off until the 4th when the Monarchs pushed another run across.The Lancer offense was held in check by the Monarch pitchers. The Lancers were only able to manage 4 hits by Philip Prendergast, James Swenson, Shaun Pisani, and Chris Logan. The Lancers got on the board in the 5th with a hit by Pisani followed by a stolen base. Logan's single brought Pisani home for the Lancers only run. Matt Webster and Hayden Schultz both went 3 strong innings only giving up one run each. Webster was able to find his groove again going 3 innings with 1ER, 2H, 2BB, 1HBP, and 1SO. Hayden Schultz remained solid going 3 innings with 1ER, 2H, 2BB, and 2SO. The Lancers look to get back on track against Santa Margarita.
JEKYL AND HYDE FOR FROSH/SOPH
The Frosh/Soph team visited Sonora after dopping a disappointing game against Sonora at El Modena Park. The Lancers started scoring early with 2 runs in the first. The Lancers offense was led by Chaz Claunch (2 for 3) and Travis Hight (2 for 4 2B, 3B). Lavance Reed and James Swenson each added a hit. The Lancers looked to even the score tanking a 5 run lead into the bottom of the 7th.
James Swenson made his Lancer debut with a brilliant outing (5 Innings, 4H, 1BB). Swenson established early that he was throwing strikes and recorded several 1 and 2 pitch outs. James Katsivalis got through the 6th with no effort. In the seventh, Katsivalis started to have a little trouble with 2 walks, a hit batter and a base hit to cut the Lancer lead to 5-2. Travis Hight came in to try and close the game out. Hight was a little off after having several strong outings. Sonora took advantage of the free passes and put together a few hits to end the game in the bottom of the 7th 6-5.
SONORA MAKES TRIP TO EL MO
On a sunny Spring afternoon Sonora High visited the Lancer Frosh/Soph team in Orange. The Lancers scored early when Chaz Claunch drove in Erich Glastetter, who led off with a single he stretched to third on a Sonora defensive error. Lavance Reed and Philip Prendergast pitched 5 solid innings allowing no runs, and with defensive help from James Swenson and James Katsavalis turned a nice double play which kept the visiting Sonora team in check. Sonora tied the score in the 6th with a single off Mark Heinecke and then things unraveled in the 7th when the visiting team scored 8 runs on 3 hits with both Heinecke and reliever Matt Webster working to stem the tide. The Lancers came back with an additional run when Travis Height blasted a triple and Hunter Hurley scored him for a final tally of 9-2. Thanks to JV catcher Teddy Squilanti who filled in and caught the complete game.
FROSH/SOPH DROPS ONE TO CAPO
The next opponent for the Lancer F/S team was Capistrano Valley High. The game started with a hit by Jason Long and the Lancers kept it close with a couple of solid defensive plays, including an attempted straight steal of home, which was blocked by Lavance Reed. Matt Webster pitched the first 3 innings, leaving with a handful of strikeouts and keeping the Lancers in the game with a 1 run deficit. Unfortunately, the Cougars put the bat on the ball in the later innings and jumped ahead with a handful of additional runs. Kyle Lazcano and Hayden Schultz pitched to close things out and fought to keep the Lancers in the game. Hunter Hurley, Chaz Claunch and Zac Walker each had hits and took advantage of defensive errors to score a couple of Lancer runs in what was the Lancers first lopsided loss of the season. Kudos to Coach Smith for maintaining composure following some controversial calls in the 9-2 upset.
FROSH/SOPH STAY HOT ON COLD DAY
The Frosh/Soph bats stayed hot pounding out 7 runs against Savannah on a cold and windy day. Chaz Claunch got the offense started (again) with a lead off triple in the top of the second. Claunch scored on Lavance Reed's sacrifice fly to give the Lancers their first run. Chris Logan, Travis Hight, and Daniel Bramson each had hits in the game and Bramson had a great bunt to squeeze in the Lancers second run. Claunch added another hit in his second at bat. Eric Glastetter showed his patience and good eye for the strike zone drawing three walks in his three at bats and scoring a run.
The Lancer pitching kept Savannah at bay despite giving up 4 runs in two separate innings. Jason Long (3 Innings, 0ER 1 hit, 1 K, 2 BB) got the Lancer pitchers off to a good start going 3 strong innings Travis Hight (2 innings. 2 runs, 0 ER, 0 hits, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO) provided another strong outing giving up 2 unearned runs on no hits. Chaz Claunch (1+ innings, 2 runs, 2 ER, 1 hit, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO) had a good first inning then gave way to Hayden Schultz (1 inning, 0 runs/hits/BB) who recorded the final 3 outs on 5 pitches.
The Lancers will be heading to Capo Valley on Saturday looking to get a little winning streak started heading back into Trinity League opponents.
FROSH/SOPH VS. SERVITE - REMATCH!
In a rematch of Tuesday night's game, the Lancers headed to Servite on Saturday afternoon. Chaz Claunch started the game with a double and James Swenson scored him on an RBI single. Mark Heineke pitched the first three innings and held the Friars to 3 runs, leaving after a 6-4-3 'inning ending' double play from Swenson, Erich Glastetter and James Katsivalis. The Lancer bats were quiet until the 4th inning when Daniel Bramson drove in two RBI's to tie the game at 3. Travis Hight took command for the next 3 innings, throwing masterfully, striking out 2 and giving up only one additional run, leaving the game tied heading into the 7th. In their final at bat Philip Prendergast squeezed out a bunt single to score Swenson and then Zac Walker scored to give the Lancers a 2 run lead. Prendergast took the hill in the final inning, however his usually reliable sinker was not at the park this afternoon, and after several solid hits and a handful of unexpected defensive errors the Friars came back to unfortunately defeat the Lancers 7-6.
LANCERS 1 RUN SHORT TO SERVITE
The Frosh/Soph team went back and forth with another Trinity League opponent on Tuesday night and ended up losing by 1 run to Servite. Kyle Lazcano started for the Lancers and left the game in the 4th with OLU ahead 9-4. Hayden Schultz and Matt Webster pitched through the next three innings, with the Friars tying the score at 9 before Servite eventually drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 6th. A spirited game, which included numerous hits and RBI's from Erich Glastetter, Travis Hight, Chaz Claunch, Jason Long, Lavance Reed and James Swensen, plus the return of Colton Rettela and Hunter Hurley who each reached base as well. Zac Walker had another solid game behind the dish and at the plate, Chris Logan stole home and at SS provided the defense to keep the game close. Coach Smith used all the tools in the book with hit & runs, bunts and double steals to move runners around the bases, but standout defense from Erich Glastetter at 2nd base raised eyebrows. The Lancers are looking forward to the rematch with Servite this Saturday afternoon, with hopefully a much different result.
LANCERS SHOW PATIENCE...
... in Victory over Los Alamitos.
The Lancer offense showed it's patience at the plate to help overcome an early charge by the Griffins. With the Lancers down 4-2 heading into the top of the 4th, the Lancers drew 5 walks, picked up 2 hits, and scored 2 runs on a pick attempt at first that went out of play. After the top of the 4th, the Lancers enjoyed an 8-4 lead. The Lancers were able to add another run in the 5th to take a 9-4 lead on to victory. The Lancer offense was led by James Swenson (3 for 4), Eric Glastetter (1 for 2 with a walk), Daniel Bramson (0 for 2 with 2 walks), and Zac Walker (0 for 2 with 2 walks).
The Lancer pitching kept the Griffins at bay despite some early defensive miscues. Lavance Reed (3 innings, 4 runs, 1 ER, 4 hits, 1 BB, 2 SO) got the pitching staff off to a good start. Mark Heinecke (2 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 5 BB, 1 SO) had a little control trouble, but was able to make the big pitch when he needed to get out of trouble in the 5th to keep the 5 run lead in tact. Travis Hight (2 innings, 0 runs, 3 hits) was able to close the game out and preserve the victory for the Lancers.
This was a big win for the Lancers after dropping a tough 1 run game to Mater Dei. This victory looks to get the Lancers back on track as they look forward to their next Trinity league opponent, Servite.
FROSH/SOPH FALL TO MATER DEI 4 - 3
Great start for our Lancers as they led the game 2 to 0 then added another run to make it 3 – 0 at the end of the fourth inning. Freshmen pitcher Zac Walker threw well from the mound causing easy pop-ups and ground balls for the defense holding on to the Lancer lead 3 - 0. Matt Webster took the mound in the fourth where the Monarchs rallied to a 4 – 3 victory over the Lancers giving the team their first league loss. (It’s okay) Phillip Prendergrast was brought in to relieve Webster in the 6th inning to close the game. Thanks for the support coach Les! See you at Los Al.
LANCERS BOUNCE BACK AT JSERRA
With bases loaded at the top of one 0-0 2 outs Lavance Reed hit a single to bring in Lancers first run. Due to a few errors the Lancers found themselves down 5 to 1. Sophomore Pitcher Kyle Lazcano found his groove and held J Serra to 5. Top of 3rd Chaz Claunch hit a bomb to left field bringing in two more runs for the Lancers, 5 to 3 J Serra. Freshmen catcher Zac Walker pumped the team up by saying “Lets go guys the game is not over”. Great at bats continued for Eric Glastetter, Chaz Claunch, James Swenson, Phillip Prendergrast, Daniel Bramson, and Jason Long had the Lancers up 9 to 5 to close the third. The defense turned it up with great stops by James Swenson and Eric Glastetter and outfield catches by Daniel Bramson. James Katsilvalis took a base after being hit by a wild pitch and Chris Logan got a great hit to keep the lead. Top of fourth Sophomore pitcher Hayden Schultz took the mound with confidence and threw very well for the next four innings to close the game for the 13 to 6 Lancer win. (Go Lancers)
LANCERS WIN HEMET DOUBLEHEADER
The Frosh/Soph team battled in a double header with the West Valley Mustangs JV squad on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the foot of snow capped mountains in Hemet! Eric Glastetter scored in the first inning after stealing a pair of bases and game one starter, Philip Prendergast, went 3 strong innings and helped himself with a RBI 2B in the 4th, which pushed the Lancers ahead 2-1. Travis Hight pitched the next 2 innings followed by Lavance Reed to keep the game close with OLU falling behind 3-2. In the 7th, with their backs against the wall, the Lancer bats caught fire with solid hits from James Swensen, Chaz Claunch and Lavance Reed. Jason Long was patient at the plate, forcing the pitchers to go deep in counts and drawing important walks, while Daniel Bramson drove in the final run. Zac Walker caught 7 innings and Matt Webster closed the game out with 3K's in a 5-3 Lancer win!
After an awesome bbq lunch, game two began with Mark Heinecke on the mound for two innings, followed by Hayden Schultz for a pair and then lefty James Katsivalis in the 5th. The Lancers evened things up in the 5th with a RBI double from Zac Walker and then Daniel Bramson squeezed in Zach to tie the score at 2. At the bottom of 6 the Lancers were down 5-4, even with superb defense from James Swensen, Chaz Claunch and Daniel Bramson who each made athletic plays to hold the Mustangs in check. However, the Lancers jumped ahead again in the 7th when Chris Logan led off with a double and Claunch hit a long triple for an RBI, followed by a fly ball from Swensen (which scored Claunch) for OLU to take the lead 6-5. It seemed that the Lancers had the game closed out when Kyle Lazcano struck out the first two batters, but the Mustangs tied the game 6-6, forcing extra innings. In the 8th Daniel Bramson reached on error, stole second, and scored on a base hit to put the Lancers in the lead 7-6. Lavance Reed threw out a runner stealing third and Matt Webster struck out 2 to seal the win (and mercifully kept players & parents from freezing to death!).
Intended to be a "Mayday" call for the Monarchs, the Lancers visited Mater Dei on May 1st searching for a win in the final game of their season series - having lost a close one previously 2-1. The Lancers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead while starter Mark Heinecke struck out a handful of Monarchs and kept their bats in check until the 4th inning when a 2 run home run and a passed ball put the Lancers in a hole 3-2. As he had done in the last game, Mater Dei sophmore pitcher Chase Radan essentially shut down the Lancer bats again through his 5 innings. In the 4th, Matt Webster relieved Heinecke with 2 outs and catcher Zac Walker blocked a runner from scoring to end the inning. In the 5th, Erich Glastetter worked a walk, stole 2nd and 3rd, poised to score, but was left stranded 90' away from tying the game. Webster took control by striking out the side in order, and in the 6th both teams went down quietly. Top of 7, the Lancers were still trailing by 1 run and with 2 out Jason Long was HBP. Kyle Lazcano came in to pinch run for Long on 2nd base and following a hit by James Swenson slid home to tie the game! After the third out, the Lancers went back to work and held the Monarchs from scoring in both the 7th and 8th innings with Webster recording another 3 strikeouts. The game was called a tie after 8 complete innings, leaving a restless cloud of "what if", hanging over the ball field.
FROSH/SOPH CONTINUE WIN STREAK!
The Lancer F/S team visited the Los Alamitos Griffins for the 2nd game of their series and came out on top with a 7-3 win. With pitching from James Katsavalis, Travis Height, Jason Long and Mark Heinecke the Lancers were able to hold an aggressive Los Al team to only 3 runs. The Lancer's played error free baseball throughout this 7 inning game. Solid defense began in the 1st inning when Katsavalis used his lefty move to pick off a runner at first, and 1st baseman Philip Prendergast took a throw from catcher Lavance Reed to apply a hard tag for the 3rd out. In the 3rd inning, after Chaz Claunch drove in the first Lancer run, the offensive highlight of the game occurred with two outs on a Grand Slam home run from Travis Height down the right field line! Daniel Bramson added an RBI in the 6th - scoring Zac Walker, and Sean Pissani doubled to begin the last inning and scored when Erich Glastetter drove in the final RBI.
FROSH/SOPH OFFENSE EXPLODES
The Lancer Frosh/Soph offense showed up with a thunderous explosion at Santa Margarita. The Lancers jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning. The game was well in hand after an 8 run 3rd inning. The Lancers added another run in the 5th to seal a 13-5 victory over the Eagles of Santa Margarita.The Lancer offense was lead by Chaz Claunch (3 for 4 with 2 2B), Hunter Hurley also 3 for 4, and Travis Hight (3 for 4). Erich Glastetter, James Swenson, Lavance Reed, and Philip Prendergast also each added a hit. Lavance Reed had a rough second innings surrendering 4 of the Eagles 5 runs. Reed remained calm and stopped the Eagles from gaining any momentum in the 3rd. Philip Prendergast went 3 strong innings allowing only 1 run. Mark Heinecke wrapped the game up facing only 3 batters in the bottom of the 7th.
The Lancers look to keep the bats going against the Eagles again next Tuesday.
LANCERS DROP A TOUGH ONE
The Lancers showed they were able to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Sonora battling for 7 innings against Mater Dei. The Monarchs scored in the first, but the Lancer pitching was able to hold them off until the 4th when the Monarchs pushed another run across.The Lancer offense was held in check by the Monarch pitchers. The Lancers were only able to manage 4 hits by Philip Prendergast, James Swenson, Shaun Pisani, and Chris Logan. The Lancers got on the board in the 5th with a hit by Pisani followed by a stolen base. Logan's single brought Pisani home for the Lancers only run. Matt Webster and Hayden Schultz both went 3 strong innings only giving up one run each. Webster was able to find his groove again going 3 innings with 1ER, 2H, 2BB, 1HBP, and 1SO. Hayden Schultz remained solid going 3 innings with 1ER, 2H, 2BB, and 2SO. The Lancers look to get back on track against Santa Margarita.
JEKYL AND HYDE FOR FROSH/SOPH
The Frosh/Soph team visited Sonora after dopping a disappointing game against Sonora at El Modena Park. The Lancers started scoring early with 2 runs in the first. The Lancers offense was led by Chaz Claunch (2 for 3) and Travis Hight (2 for 4 2B, 3B). Lavance Reed and James Swenson each added a hit. The Lancers looked to even the score tanking a 5 run lead into the bottom of the 7th.
James Swenson made his Lancer debut with a brilliant outing (5 Innings, 4H, 1BB). Swenson established early that he was throwing strikes and recorded several 1 and 2 pitch outs. James Katsivalis got through the 6th with no effort. In the seventh, Katsivalis started to have a little trouble with 2 walks, a hit batter and a base hit to cut the Lancer lead to 5-2. Travis Hight came in to try and close the game out. Hight was a little off after having several strong outings. Sonora took advantage of the free passes and put together a few hits to end the game in the bottom of the 7th 6-5.
SONORA MAKES TRIP TO EL MO
On a sunny Spring afternoon Sonora High visited the Lancer Frosh/Soph team in Orange. The Lancers scored early when Chaz Claunch drove in Erich Glastetter, who led off with a single he stretched to third on a Sonora defensive error. Lavance Reed and Philip Prendergast pitched 5 solid innings allowing no runs, and with defensive help from James Swenson and James Katsavalis turned a nice double play which kept the visiting Sonora team in check. Sonora tied the score in the 6th with a single off Mark Heinecke and then things unraveled in the 7th when the visiting team scored 8 runs on 3 hits with both Heinecke and reliever Matt Webster working to stem the tide. The Lancers came back with an additional run when Travis Height blasted a triple and Hunter Hurley scored him for a final tally of 9-2. Thanks to JV catcher Teddy Squilanti who filled in and caught the complete game.
FROSH/SOPH DROPS ONE TO CAPO
The next opponent for the Lancer F/S team was Capistrano Valley High. The game started with a hit by Jason Long and the Lancers kept it close with a couple of solid defensive plays, including an attempted straight steal of home, which was blocked by Lavance Reed. Matt Webster pitched the first 3 innings, leaving with a handful of strikeouts and keeping the Lancers in the game with a 1 run deficit. Unfortunately, the Cougars put the bat on the ball in the later innings and jumped ahead with a handful of additional runs. Kyle Lazcano and Hayden Schultz pitched to close things out and fought to keep the Lancers in the game. Hunter Hurley, Chaz Claunch and Zac Walker each had hits and took advantage of defensive errors to score a couple of Lancer runs in what was the Lancers first lopsided loss of the season. Kudos to Coach Smith for maintaining composure following some controversial calls in the 9-2 upset.
FROSH/SOPH STAY HOT ON COLD DAY
The Frosh/Soph bats stayed hot pounding out 7 runs against Savannah on a cold and windy day. Chaz Claunch got the offense started (again) with a lead off triple in the top of the second. Claunch scored on Lavance Reed's sacrifice fly to give the Lancers their first run. Chris Logan, Travis Hight, and Daniel Bramson each had hits in the game and Bramson had a great bunt to squeeze in the Lancers second run. Claunch added another hit in his second at bat. Eric Glastetter showed his patience and good eye for the strike zone drawing three walks in his three at bats and scoring a run.
The Lancer pitching kept Savannah at bay despite giving up 4 runs in two separate innings. Jason Long (3 Innings, 0ER 1 hit, 1 K, 2 BB) got the Lancer pitchers off to a good start going 3 strong innings Travis Hight (2 innings. 2 runs, 0 ER, 0 hits, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO) provided another strong outing giving up 2 unearned runs on no hits. Chaz Claunch (1+ innings, 2 runs, 2 ER, 1 hit, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO) had a good first inning then gave way to Hayden Schultz (1 inning, 0 runs/hits/BB) who recorded the final 3 outs on 5 pitches.
The Lancers will be heading to Capo Valley on Saturday looking to get a little winning streak started heading back into Trinity League opponents.
FROSH/SOPH VS. SERVITE - REMATCH!
In a rematch of Tuesday night's game, the Lancers headed to Servite on Saturday afternoon. Chaz Claunch started the game with a double and James Swenson scored him on an RBI single. Mark Heineke pitched the first three innings and held the Friars to 3 runs, leaving after a 6-4-3 'inning ending' double play from Swenson, Erich Glastetter and James Katsivalis. The Lancer bats were quiet until the 4th inning when Daniel Bramson drove in two RBI's to tie the game at 3. Travis Hight took command for the next 3 innings, throwing masterfully, striking out 2 and giving up only one additional run, leaving the game tied heading into the 7th. In their final at bat Philip Prendergast squeezed out a bunt single to score Swenson and then Zac Walker scored to give the Lancers a 2 run lead. Prendergast took the hill in the final inning, however his usually reliable sinker was not at the park this afternoon, and after several solid hits and a handful of unexpected defensive errors the Friars came back to unfortunately defeat the Lancers 7-6.
LANCERS 1 RUN SHORT TO SERVITE
The Frosh/Soph team went back and forth with another Trinity League opponent on Tuesday night and ended up losing by 1 run to Servite. Kyle Lazcano started for the Lancers and left the game in the 4th with OLU ahead 9-4. Hayden Schultz and Matt Webster pitched through the next three innings, with the Friars tying the score at 9 before Servite eventually drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 6th. A spirited game, which included numerous hits and RBI's from Erich Glastetter, Travis Hight, Chaz Claunch, Jason Long, Lavance Reed and James Swensen, plus the return of Colton Rettela and Hunter Hurley who each reached base as well. Zac Walker had another solid game behind the dish and at the plate, Chris Logan stole home and at SS provided the defense to keep the game close. Coach Smith used all the tools in the book with hit & runs, bunts and double steals to move runners around the bases, but standout defense from Erich Glastetter at 2nd base raised eyebrows. The Lancers are looking forward to the rematch with Servite this Saturday afternoon, with hopefully a much different result.
LANCERS SHOW PATIENCE...
... in Victory over Los Alamitos.
The Lancer offense showed it's patience at the plate to help overcome an early charge by the Griffins. With the Lancers down 4-2 heading into the top of the 4th, the Lancers drew 5 walks, picked up 2 hits, and scored 2 runs on a pick attempt at first that went out of play. After the top of the 4th, the Lancers enjoyed an 8-4 lead. The Lancers were able to add another run in the 5th to take a 9-4 lead on to victory. The Lancer offense was led by James Swenson (3 for 4), Eric Glastetter (1 for 2 with a walk), Daniel Bramson (0 for 2 with 2 walks), and Zac Walker (0 for 2 with 2 walks).
The Lancer pitching kept the Griffins at bay despite some early defensive miscues. Lavance Reed (3 innings, 4 runs, 1 ER, 4 hits, 1 BB, 2 SO) got the pitching staff off to a good start. Mark Heinecke (2 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 5 BB, 1 SO) had a little control trouble, but was able to make the big pitch when he needed to get out of trouble in the 5th to keep the 5 run lead in tact. Travis Hight (2 innings, 0 runs, 3 hits) was able to close the game out and preserve the victory for the Lancers.
This was a big win for the Lancers after dropping a tough 1 run game to Mater Dei. This victory looks to get the Lancers back on track as they look forward to their next Trinity league opponent, Servite.
FROSH/SOPH FALL TO MATER DEI 4 - 3
Great start for our Lancers as they led the game 2 to 0 then added another run to make it 3 – 0 at the end of the fourth inning. Freshmen pitcher Zac Walker threw well from the mound causing easy pop-ups and ground balls for the defense holding on to the Lancer lead 3 - 0. Matt Webster took the mound in the fourth where the Monarchs rallied to a 4 – 3 victory over the Lancers giving the team their first league loss. (It’s okay) Phillip Prendergrast was brought in to relieve Webster in the 6th inning to close the game. Thanks for the support coach Les! See you at Los Al.
LANCERS BOUNCE BACK AT JSERRA
With bases loaded at the top of one 0-0 2 outs Lavance Reed hit a single to bring in Lancers first run. Due to a few errors the Lancers found themselves down 5 to 1. Sophomore Pitcher Kyle Lazcano found his groove and held J Serra to 5. Top of 3rd Chaz Claunch hit a bomb to left field bringing in two more runs for the Lancers, 5 to 3 J Serra. Freshmen catcher Zac Walker pumped the team up by saying “Lets go guys the game is not over”. Great at bats continued for Eric Glastetter, Chaz Claunch, James Swenson, Phillip Prendergrast, Daniel Bramson, and Jason Long had the Lancers up 9 to 5 to close the third. The defense turned it up with great stops by James Swenson and Eric Glastetter and outfield catches by Daniel Bramson. James Katsilvalis took a base after being hit by a wild pitch and Chris Logan got a great hit to keep the lead. Top of fourth Sophomore pitcher Hayden Schultz took the mound with confidence and threw very well for the next four innings to close the game for the 13 to 6 Lancer win. (Go Lancers)
LANCERS WIN HEMET DOUBLEHEADER
The Frosh/Soph team battled in a double header with the West Valley Mustangs JV squad on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the foot of snow capped mountains in Hemet! Eric Glastetter scored in the first inning after stealing a pair of bases and game one starter, Philip Prendergast, went 3 strong innings and helped himself with a RBI 2B in the 4th, which pushed the Lancers ahead 2-1. Travis Hight pitched the next 2 innings followed by Lavance Reed to keep the game close with OLU falling behind 3-2. In the 7th, with their backs against the wall, the Lancer bats caught fire with solid hits from James Swensen, Chaz Claunch and Lavance Reed. Jason Long was patient at the plate, forcing the pitchers to go deep in counts and drawing important walks, while Daniel Bramson drove in the final run. Zac Walker caught 7 innings and Matt Webster closed the game out with 3K's in a 5-3 Lancer win!
After an awesome bbq lunch, game two began with Mark Heinecke on the mound for two innings, followed by Hayden Schultz for a pair and then lefty James Katsivalis in the 5th. The Lancers evened things up in the 5th with a RBI double from Zac Walker and then Daniel Bramson squeezed in Zach to tie the score at 2. At the bottom of 6 the Lancers were down 5-4, even with superb defense from James Swensen, Chaz Claunch and Daniel Bramson who each made athletic plays to hold the Mustangs in check. However, the Lancers jumped ahead again in the 7th when Chris Logan led off with a double and Claunch hit a long triple for an RBI, followed by a fly ball from Swensen (which scored Claunch) for OLU to take the lead 6-5. It seemed that the Lancers had the game closed out when Kyle Lazcano struck out the first two batters, but the Mustangs tied the game 6-6, forcing extra innings. In the 8th Daniel Bramson reached on error, stole second, and scored on a base hit to put the Lancers in the lead 7-6. Lavance Reed threw out a runner stealing third and Matt Webster struck out 2 to seal the win (and mercifully kept players & parents from freezing to death!).
FRESHMEN DOWN THE LIONS
On their only trip to JSerra, the Freshmen took what should have been the home team's advantage away from the Lions. April 29th was a blustery day and the Lancers properly executed catching fly balls in the wind when their opponent couldn't. Pair that with a strong showing on the mound by Matt Hammonds and effective hitting and the result is a great win by the Freshmen Lancers 11-5. Dalton Frize, Matt Stumme, Drew Andary, Casey Hershfield and Cody Sense all had two hits on the day. A long fly ball to the hill in right center, along with his speed on the bases allowed Andary to get an in-the-park home run. Solid defense, pitching and hitting combined for an impressive win.
LANCERS TAKE BOSCO SERIES
What a difference a day makes! The Freshmen Lancers went back to St John Bosco the day after their loss, with the sun shining brightly. Batting first the Lancers were able to jump on the board 3-0 as Cody Sense drew a bases loaded walk to bring in 1 run and then Chase Dominguez drilled a still-bases loaded double to left center. The Bosco Braves put up two on a 2-run homer, which was one of just three hits given up by starting pitcher Dalton Frize. Lutheran added to its scoring in the 3rd when six batters came to the plate with RBI by Sense and Dominguez. Single runs scored in each of the 6th and 7th innings proved to be vital as the game progressed. Colby Walker came in to relieve Frize in the 4th and Justin Tidwell followed him to the mound in the middle of the 6th. Bosco added two runs in each of the 6th and 7th but the Lancers' defense and pitching held tough with the Braves stranding three batters in both innings. The Lancers grabbed the game 8-6 and their first league series win. Up next...JSerra!
BOSCO BEATS FRESHMEN
A dreary Thursday in Bellflower, turned into a dreary day on the field for the young Lancers. The Freshmen travelled to St John Bosco and got off on the wrong foot to start the game and that carried over throughout the game, as they fell to the Braves 9-10. Brad Rinehart was the starting pitcher and couldn’t quite get his defense behind him. In the 1st two innings, the Lancers gave up five runs, all of them unearned. Casey Hershfield relieved Rinehart and was benefitted by two error-free innings; however, those were the only innings that the Lancer defense played cleanly. The Braves took advantage of their gifts on the bases and had a six run lead going into the 5th inning. The Bosco coach took his strong starting pitcher out and suddenly the Lancers started hitting! Matt Stumme led the 5th off with a walk and was knocked in on a Drew Andary single. On the next at bat, Andary could almost jog in on Casey Hershfield’s triple to right field. Hershfield rounded out the scoring when he came in on a Cody Sense single to left field. The Lancers chased Bosco’s first reliever to the bench after just three batters as they cut the score in half that inning. In the top of the 6th, Lutheran set about removing the next Bosco pitcher, as Dalton Frize, Stumme and Andary all had successive singles. Hershfield came to the plate with bases loaded and sent the ball back to basically the same spot for his 2nd triple in as many at bats! Sense once again knocked Hershfield in and the game was tied at 8. In the bottom of the 6th, Hershfield switched positions on the field with Andary at pitcher and right field. The see-saw battle saw the Braves come back in their half of the inning and score another, to take a one run lead into the 7th. The Lancers took advantage of a Braves error that helped them score the tying run in the top of the 7th. Unfortunately the mis-cues continued as Bosco’s lead-off batter who walked, scored the winning run on the Lancers’ last error of the day. The Freshmen will jump back on the bus Friday and return to St John Bosco for their final game of the series. The forecast is for a sunny day!
MONARCHS DOWN LANCERS
In the final game in their series against Mater Dei, the Freshmen had a rough start, fought back in the middle, only to fall in the end 5-10. Five Monarchs scored in their half of the 1st inning putting the Lancers in a big hole right away. Lutheran scored one in the bottom of the 1st and then rallied back in the bottom of the 2nd, scoring four more runs to tie the game. In that inning, the Lancers took advantage of two walks and two Monarch errors along with a single to the right side by Jordan Moore and a 2-run double down the third base line by Chase Dominguez. Another tough inning for the Lancers in the top of the 4th saw five more Monarchs cross the plate. Moore got his 2nd hit of the game and scored on a Mater Dei error in the 6th, but the Lancer hitting stopped there. Mater Dei held Lutheran in the bottom of the 7th to take the game and the series. The Freshmen hope to have a better outcome when they face St John Bosco next week, playing in Bellflower on Thursday and at home Saturday evening.
FRESHMEN BEAT MATER DEI
The Freshmen went back to Mater Dei on April 13th with the hopes of getting a different outcome from their previous visit when they fell 0-8 in the league opener. Things were indeed different right from the start as lead-off batter Dalton Frize got hit by the first pitch of the game. Matt Stumme moved him over with a base hit, then Frize came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Chase Dominguez making it a 1-0 ball game. Brad Rinehart got the start on the mound and took control of the game. He kept the Monarchs in check, facing just four batters in both the 1st and 2nd innings, not allowing a run until the 3rd inning when the Mater Dei coaches manufactured a run off a lead-off single. The Lancers came back in the 5th inning with Frize scoring again, this time on an RBI single by Stumme. In the next inning, Frize had a timely single to right field to bring in two more runs, padding the Lancers’ lead. Another sacrifice fly, this time by Casey Hershfield, brought in the Lancers’ final run – speedy Michael Ramirez, who was pinch-running for Dominguez, who got on on a lead-off double. Rinehart left the game after 6 outstanding innings, giving up just 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk. Justin Tidwell came in to close things out in the bottom of the 7th, but got into a bit of a bind, as two Monarchs scored. However, Tidwell buckled down and with two out, a runner on 2nd and the tying run at the plate, got the batter to strike out swinging to end the game, with the Lancers winning 5-3. The two teams will face one another again on Thursday; this time at the Lancers home field.
LANCERS END TOURNEY WITH WIN
For their final game in the Bishop Amat Tournament the Lancers came up against Arcadia High. Matt Hammonds took to the mound and threw three solid innings allowing just two hits and no runs. Drew Andary led the team at the plate going 3 for 3 with back-to-back triples followed by a double. Justin Tidwell also had a multi-hit game going 2 for 3. They both had two RBI. With five other Lancers getting hits, the Freshmen were able to wrap-up the game 7-5 in 5 innings as the game was shortened due to time.
After a week full of baseball in La Puente and Cerritos, the Freshmen go back to league play...starting things off at Mater Dei where they hope to have a different outcome from their first trip to the Monarchs' field.
LANCERS FALL TO SPARTANS
The Freshmen played Coach Borba’s alma mater, Damien, in their last pool play game of the Bishop Amat Tournament. With Damien came an outstanding pitcher, Ben Olson, who stymied the Lancers’ bats, giving up just five hits in the game. Dalton Frize, the Lancers’ starting pitcher had a good game as well, as he went four strong innings allowing just one run on three hits. In the bottom of the 6th inning, the Lancers were trailing 2-3 but rallied to grab the lead 4-3. However, the top of the 7th saw Damien jump ahead for good as their clean-up hitter really cleaned up, sending a breaking ball to deep center for a grand slam. The Lancers tried to rally again in the bottom of the 7th, but could only come up with one more run as they fell to the Damien Spartans 5-8.
FRESHMEN ROUT ALAMANY
In their 2nd tournament pool play game, the Lancers took on the Alemany Warriors. Once again the Lutheran Lancers showed their offensive prowess opening up the game with two runs in the 1st inning including a triple by lead-off batter Dalton Frize who was knocked in on a solid single to left field by Chase Dominguez. The 2nd inning was another long one for the Lancers – but in a good way. They brought 15 batters to the plate who scored 9 runs on 10 hits, one walk, one sacrifice and two Warrior errors. Cody Sense, Jordan Moore, Brad Rinehart and Reese Flynn all had timely hits to knock in runs. The Freshmen added one run in each of the 4th and 5th innings to make the final score in the time-shortened game 13-2. Casey Hershfield, Colby Walker and Matt Hammonds took to the mound. Hershfield only allowed 4 hits and had 5 strikeouts in his 3 innings, to earn the win in the 5 inning game.
LANCERS WIN TOURNEY OPENER
The Freshmen went into their first game at the Bishop Amat Tournament against La Salle of Pasadena ready for action. There were Lancers everywhere as it was the Orange Lutheran Lancers facing the La Salle Lancers at the Bishop Amat Lancers’ field! Brad Rinehart faced just four batters in the top of the first without allowing a run and then it was the Orange Lutheran Lancers’ turn at the plate. Lutheran went through their order and then some, with twelve batters amassing seven hits and seven runs in that opening inning. They never looked back. Dalton Frize and Matt Stumme started things off well in their 1, 2 spots and just kept hitting as they both went 5 for 5 on the day with Stumme collecting five RBI. Drew Andary was also perfect at bat going 3 for 3 while also getting on base one other time after getting hit by the pitch. Struggling just a bit in the 4th inning when La Salle scored five, the Lutheran Lancers worked hard in the field to otherwise keep their opponent off the board after that. Andary and Justin Tidwell followed Rinehart on the mound doing their parts to help Lutheran earn their first Easter break tournament win 15-6 in 6 innings.
FRESHMAN TEAM FALLS IN EXTRAS
In their league first game against the Santa Margarita Eagles, the Freshmen saw a great pitching duel and went in to extra innings only to fall 1-5. Matt Hammonds had a terrific game on the mound, leaving in the 6th inning down 0-1 on an unearned run scored in the 2nd inning. The Lancers’ bats were stymied by the Eagles’ pitching, not getting their first hit until the bottom of the 5th when Casey Hershfield sent a shot into right field. Unfortunately he was stranded on base. Cody Sense and Jordan Moore each got hits in the 6th with two outs, but they were unable to score. In the bottom of the 7th, Drew Andary led off with a single; he was moved over on a sacrifice by Brad Rinehart and was knocked in by a Colby Walker single to tie the game. Going in to their first extra inning game, the Lancers had a tough time with the Eagles at the plate as they had three hit batters, gave up two hits and allowed four runs. Santa Margarita pitchers maintained their dominance on the night as they finished off the Lancers 1, 2, 3 in the bottom of the 8th to earn the league win and well-fought battle.
FRESHMEN BEAT SERVITE
The Freshmen took to the road and faced Servite at Glover Stadium the evening of March 30th. Behind 0-2 in the 2nd inning, the Lancer offense came alive in the top half of the 3rd getting five hits to score three; the Lancers never looked back. In the 4th, the Lancers took advantage of getting four walks and one hit batter to score two more runs. In the 5th and 6th innings they came up with two more runs to make the final score 7-4 in the game which was called after six complete, due to time. Cody Sense and Drew Andary led the team with two hits each, with Sense getting two timely RBI in the 3rd inning. Dalton Frize got the start on the mound with Justin Tidwell, Casey Hershfield and Colby Walker backing him up. Tidwell pitched 3-2/3 innings and got the win.
FRESHMEN ROUT JSERRA
The Freshman Lancers’ bats continued to stay hot in league play as 10 players had hits in their 17-3 win over JSerra at El Modena Park Saturday night.
Things started rolling right from the 1st inning, when 10 batters came to the plate and thanks to Cody Sense’s and Casey Hershfield’s two run doubles, four runs scored. Those weren’t the Lancers’ only extra base hits, as Jordan Moore smacked a triple to right field in the 3rd inning and Drew Andary had back-to-back triples; one to right field in the 4th inning and the next to left field in the 5th. Andary led the team with five RBI. Brad Rinehart got the start on the mound and earned his first league win, with Justin Tidwell and Colby Walker coming in to close things out. The Freshmen take on Servite and Santa Margarita this week before spending their Easter break in La Puente taking on some top-notch baseball programs in the Bishop Amat Tournament.
FRESHMEN BATS ARE BACK
There was no losing streak for the Freshman Lancers. They bounced back from their lop-sided loss at Mater Dei and jumped all over the St John Bosco pitchers, resoundingly beating the Braves 10-2. Finally getting a chance to play on their home field, the Lancers had a ten batter, six run 2nd inning to take a lead that they never gave up. In their half of the 2nd, the Freshmen had five hits, took advantage of two batters being hit at the plate as well as two Brave errors in scoring their six runs. To top things off, the Lancers came back to score two more runs in both the 5th and 6th innings. Outstanding pitching by starter Matt Hammonds, who earned his first league win was backed by solid defensive plays on the left side of the infield by Brad Rinehart and Chase Dominguez. Justin Tidwell pitched the 5th and 6th innings with only one Bosco batter reaching base and Colby Walker came in to close things out in the 7th facing just four Braves. Offensively Cody Sense and Casey Hershfield led the Lancers, each going 3 for 4 while Brad Rinehart led the team with three RBI. The Lancers will enjoy one more home game on Saturday night when they face the JSerra Lions.
FRESHMEN FALL TO MATER DEI
The Freshman Team’s six-game winning streak came to a halt when it opened Trinity League play at Mater Dei, March 20th. Unfortunately, the Freshmen mimicked the Varsity team too well, as they played the afternoon after Varsity’s defeat at Mater Dei & had an almost identical loss against the Monarchs. The Freshmen however gave up one more run, falling 0-8. Cody Sense had two hits, while Dalton Frize, Chase Dominguez and Brad Rinehart each had one; that was it for the Lancers’ bats. Those five hits were spread out over seven innings and the Lancers couldn’t put anything together offensively to get things going or get a run.
Hitting and scoring wasn’t the problem for the host Monarchs as they racked up nine hits – two of which were home runs. After a tough 4th inning, John Montgomery took the loss; his 1st for the Freshmen. Matt Hammonds, Colby Walker & Justin Tidwell came on in relief.
After seven games on the road, the Freshman Lancers look forward to staying at home and starting a new winning streak as they’ll be playing St John Bosco and JSerra at El Modena Park the end of this week.
FRESHMEN TAKE TWO
Monday, 3-15, the Freshmen only had to travel to Placentia to play, but wound up continuing the solid hitting that they’d had in the Inland Empire. In an afternoon double-header at El Dorado High School, the Lancers just followed behind their lead-off hitter Dalton Frize and got things going from the start of the game as they scored 2 runs in the 1st. Eight Lancer batters came to the plate in the top of the 2nd, putting together 5 hits and 5 runs, with Frize capping it off with an in-the-park home run. Since they were on a roll, the following inning 11 batters again stepped up, with five again getting hits; this time Casey Hershfield had the in-the-park homer. Adding to the hitting in the 3rd, Cody Sense sent a 1-1 pitch flying up the middle for an impressive triple & Chase Dominguez had his 2nd of three long singles down the left field line which made the score 12-2. In the Lancers’ high-scoring 2nd & 3rd, Hershfield & Frize were joined by Jordan Moore, Brad Rinehart & Reese Flynn in successfully getting on base both innings. The Lancers put together another string of hits in the 4th, making the score 14-2. Brad Rinehart pitched all 5 innings of the shortened game allowing just 5 hits and 2 runs.
The 2nd game once again had a load of Lancers on base. Taking advantage of fielding errors by El Dorado, as well as timely hitting, the Freshmen kept up their scoring – spreading it out a bit more this time. Dalton Frize once again led things off well and managed to reach base safely three out of four times at the plate, scoring three runs. Cody Sense & Colby Walker were on fire too, each being perfect at the plate this game. Casey Hershfield, Matt Hammonds & Walker took to the mound and helped their team get an 8-4 win, allowing just 5 hits while striking out 9 El Dorado batters.
MIGHTY CASEY AT THE BAT
Just like the famous poem, Casey came up to bat with the score 4-2 with one more inning to play…However, the Lancers’ Casey Hershfield had a MUCH better at bat than the classic poem’s legend. In the Freshman Team’s Championship Game against Murrieta Valley in the Corona Centennial Tournament, Hershfield came
up in the top of the 7th with the bases loaded
& his team trailing by two. Casey ripped the first pitch he saw to the center field fence for a
stand-up triple! With that one swing, the Lancers took their first lead since the top of the 1st inning of thegame. The score stayed 5-4 as Colby Walker got three of the four batters out that he faced
in the bottom of the 7th inning & the Lancers
captured the Championship!
Matt Hammonds was solid on the mound striking out seven batters in 4+ innings. Dalton Frize joined Hershfield with a multiple-hit game. Aggressive play calling by the coaches manufactured a run in the 5th inning to help the Lancers move within 2 runs of the host Nighthawks. The rest was history!
FRESHMAN BEAT ROOSEVELT 15-12
The Freshman Lancers had their first challenge of the young season Wednesday
(3-10) at Roosevelt High School in Norco. They got a taste of their own medicine as they were roughed up in the 3rd inning allowing 9 runs on 6 hits and 2 errors. But the Freshmen battled back, as Jordan Moore started a series of four consecutive singles in the 4th, bringing the score to 4-11. Dalton Frize smacked a triple in the 5th and Cody Sense belted a 2-run home run; that inning ended
11-12. Sense came up to bat the next inning & launched a towering shot to the deepest part of center field for another 2-run HR as the Lancers took the lead 13-12. They added two more insurance runs in the 7th to grab the win 15-12. Besides Frize & Sense, Matt Stumme & Chase Dominguez had great days at the plate with multiple hits & RBI. Casey Hershfield, Matt Hammonds & Justin Tidwell took to the mound with Tidwell getting his 2nd win of the season.
OFFENSE STAYS HOT FOR FRESHMAN
The Freshman bats stayed hot in the Corona Centennial Tournament, helping the team win its game against Heritage High School of Romoland 15-3! The “meat” of the batting order was on fire for the Lancers – Cody Sense went 4 for 4 with 3 RBI while also scoring 5 runs; Colby Walker was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI & Chase Dominguez hit right behind him going 3 for 5 with 4 RBI. Matt Stumme held things down behind the plate & threw two runners out attempting to steal 3rd at crucial points of the game, to help keep the opponents to just three runs. Justin Tidwell pitched a solid four innings; Colby Walker & Casey Hershfield closed the game out on the mound.
FRESHMAN START WITH ROUT
20 Lancer batters produced 14 runs in the top of the 3rd inning in the Freshman Team’s first “official” game. The red-hot bats allowed the team to get its first victory, 16-3, in game #1 of the Corona Centennial Tournament against Murrieta Mesa High School. Cody Sense (4 for 4) had the first of 2, back-to-back triples along with Colby Walker to get the rally going in the long 3rd inning. Drew Andary followed closely thereafter with a home run and the hitting kept on from there! Matt Hammonds threw 3-2/3 innings allowing just 3 runs on 2 hits against the host Rams. Drew Andary & Casey Hershfield came in in relief. Combined, the three pitchers had 12 strike-outs. Every Freshman player saw some action in the game and helped contribute to the team’s inaugural win!
On their only trip to JSerra, the Freshmen took what should have been the home team's advantage away from the Lions. April 29th was a blustery day and the Lancers properly executed catching fly balls in the wind when their opponent couldn't. Pair that with a strong showing on the mound by Matt Hammonds and effective hitting and the result is a great win by the Freshmen Lancers 11-5. Dalton Frize, Matt Stumme, Drew Andary, Casey Hershfield and Cody Sense all had two hits on the day. A long fly ball to the hill in right center, along with his speed on the bases allowed Andary to get an in-the-park home run. Solid defense, pitching and hitting combined for an impressive win.
LANCERS TAKE BOSCO SERIES
What a difference a day makes! The Freshmen Lancers went back to St John Bosco the day after their loss, with the sun shining brightly. Batting first the Lancers were able to jump on the board 3-0 as Cody Sense drew a bases loaded walk to bring in 1 run and then Chase Dominguez drilled a still-bases loaded double to left center. The Bosco Braves put up two on a 2-run homer, which was one of just three hits given up by starting pitcher Dalton Frize. Lutheran added to its scoring in the 3rd when six batters came to the plate with RBI by Sense and Dominguez. Single runs scored in each of the 6th and 7th innings proved to be vital as the game progressed. Colby Walker came in to relieve Frize in the 4th and Justin Tidwell followed him to the mound in the middle of the 6th. Bosco added two runs in each of the 6th and 7th but the Lancers' defense and pitching held tough with the Braves stranding three batters in both innings. The Lancers grabbed the game 8-6 and their first league series win. Up next...JSerra!
BOSCO BEATS FRESHMEN
A dreary Thursday in Bellflower, turned into a dreary day on the field for the young Lancers. The Freshmen travelled to St John Bosco and got off on the wrong foot to start the game and that carried over throughout the game, as they fell to the Braves 9-10. Brad Rinehart was the starting pitcher and couldn’t quite get his defense behind him. In the 1st two innings, the Lancers gave up five runs, all of them unearned. Casey Hershfield relieved Rinehart and was benefitted by two error-free innings; however, those were the only innings that the Lancer defense played cleanly. The Braves took advantage of their gifts on the bases and had a six run lead going into the 5th inning. The Bosco coach took his strong starting pitcher out and suddenly the Lancers started hitting! Matt Stumme led the 5th off with a walk and was knocked in on a Drew Andary single. On the next at bat, Andary could almost jog in on Casey Hershfield’s triple to right field. Hershfield rounded out the scoring when he came in on a Cody Sense single to left field. The Lancers chased Bosco’s first reliever to the bench after just three batters as they cut the score in half that inning. In the top of the 6th, Lutheran set about removing the next Bosco pitcher, as Dalton Frize, Stumme and Andary all had successive singles. Hershfield came to the plate with bases loaded and sent the ball back to basically the same spot for his 2nd triple in as many at bats! Sense once again knocked Hershfield in and the game was tied at 8. In the bottom of the 6th, Hershfield switched positions on the field with Andary at pitcher and right field. The see-saw battle saw the Braves come back in their half of the inning and score another, to take a one run lead into the 7th. The Lancers took advantage of a Braves error that helped them score the tying run in the top of the 7th. Unfortunately the mis-cues continued as Bosco’s lead-off batter who walked, scored the winning run on the Lancers’ last error of the day. The Freshmen will jump back on the bus Friday and return to St John Bosco for their final game of the series. The forecast is for a sunny day!
MONARCHS DOWN LANCERS
In the final game in their series against Mater Dei, the Freshmen had a rough start, fought back in the middle, only to fall in the end 5-10. Five Monarchs scored in their half of the 1st inning putting the Lancers in a big hole right away. Lutheran scored one in the bottom of the 1st and then rallied back in the bottom of the 2nd, scoring four more runs to tie the game. In that inning, the Lancers took advantage of two walks and two Monarch errors along with a single to the right side by Jordan Moore and a 2-run double down the third base line by Chase Dominguez. Another tough inning for the Lancers in the top of the 4th saw five more Monarchs cross the plate. Moore got his 2nd hit of the game and scored on a Mater Dei error in the 6th, but the Lancer hitting stopped there. Mater Dei held Lutheran in the bottom of the 7th to take the game and the series. The Freshmen hope to have a better outcome when they face St John Bosco next week, playing in Bellflower on Thursday and at home Saturday evening.
FRESHMEN BEAT MATER DEI
The Freshmen went back to Mater Dei on April 13th with the hopes of getting a different outcome from their previous visit when they fell 0-8 in the league opener. Things were indeed different right from the start as lead-off batter Dalton Frize got hit by the first pitch of the game. Matt Stumme moved him over with a base hit, then Frize came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Chase Dominguez making it a 1-0 ball game. Brad Rinehart got the start on the mound and took control of the game. He kept the Monarchs in check, facing just four batters in both the 1st and 2nd innings, not allowing a run until the 3rd inning when the Mater Dei coaches manufactured a run off a lead-off single. The Lancers came back in the 5th inning with Frize scoring again, this time on an RBI single by Stumme. In the next inning, Frize had a timely single to right field to bring in two more runs, padding the Lancers’ lead. Another sacrifice fly, this time by Casey Hershfield, brought in the Lancers’ final run – speedy Michael Ramirez, who was pinch-running for Dominguez, who got on on a lead-off double. Rinehart left the game after 6 outstanding innings, giving up just 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk. Justin Tidwell came in to close things out in the bottom of the 7th, but got into a bit of a bind, as two Monarchs scored. However, Tidwell buckled down and with two out, a runner on 2nd and the tying run at the plate, got the batter to strike out swinging to end the game, with the Lancers winning 5-3. The two teams will face one another again on Thursday; this time at the Lancers home field.
LANCERS END TOURNEY WITH WIN
For their final game in the Bishop Amat Tournament the Lancers came up against Arcadia High. Matt Hammonds took to the mound and threw three solid innings allowing just two hits and no runs. Drew Andary led the team at the plate going 3 for 3 with back-to-back triples followed by a double. Justin Tidwell also had a multi-hit game going 2 for 3. They both had two RBI. With five other Lancers getting hits, the Freshmen were able to wrap-up the game 7-5 in 5 innings as the game was shortened due to time.
After a week full of baseball in La Puente and Cerritos, the Freshmen go back to league play...starting things off at Mater Dei where they hope to have a different outcome from their first trip to the Monarchs' field.
LANCERS FALL TO SPARTANS
The Freshmen played Coach Borba’s alma mater, Damien, in their last pool play game of the Bishop Amat Tournament. With Damien came an outstanding pitcher, Ben Olson, who stymied the Lancers’ bats, giving up just five hits in the game. Dalton Frize, the Lancers’ starting pitcher had a good game as well, as he went four strong innings allowing just one run on three hits. In the bottom of the 6th inning, the Lancers were trailing 2-3 but rallied to grab the lead 4-3. However, the top of the 7th saw Damien jump ahead for good as their clean-up hitter really cleaned up, sending a breaking ball to deep center for a grand slam. The Lancers tried to rally again in the bottom of the 7th, but could only come up with one more run as they fell to the Damien Spartans 5-8.
FRESHMEN ROUT ALAMANY
In their 2nd tournament pool play game, the Lancers took on the Alemany Warriors. Once again the Lutheran Lancers showed their offensive prowess opening up the game with two runs in the 1st inning including a triple by lead-off batter Dalton Frize who was knocked in on a solid single to left field by Chase Dominguez. The 2nd inning was another long one for the Lancers – but in a good way. They brought 15 batters to the plate who scored 9 runs on 10 hits, one walk, one sacrifice and two Warrior errors. Cody Sense, Jordan Moore, Brad Rinehart and Reese Flynn all had timely hits to knock in runs. The Freshmen added one run in each of the 4th and 5th innings to make the final score in the time-shortened game 13-2. Casey Hershfield, Colby Walker and Matt Hammonds took to the mound. Hershfield only allowed 4 hits and had 5 strikeouts in his 3 innings, to earn the win in the 5 inning game.
LANCERS WIN TOURNEY OPENER
The Freshmen went into their first game at the Bishop Amat Tournament against La Salle of Pasadena ready for action. There were Lancers everywhere as it was the Orange Lutheran Lancers facing the La Salle Lancers at the Bishop Amat Lancers’ field! Brad Rinehart faced just four batters in the top of the first without allowing a run and then it was the Orange Lutheran Lancers’ turn at the plate. Lutheran went through their order and then some, with twelve batters amassing seven hits and seven runs in that opening inning. They never looked back. Dalton Frize and Matt Stumme started things off well in their 1, 2 spots and just kept hitting as they both went 5 for 5 on the day with Stumme collecting five RBI. Drew Andary was also perfect at bat going 3 for 3 while also getting on base one other time after getting hit by the pitch. Struggling just a bit in the 4th inning when La Salle scored five, the Lutheran Lancers worked hard in the field to otherwise keep their opponent off the board after that. Andary and Justin Tidwell followed Rinehart on the mound doing their parts to help Lutheran earn their first Easter break tournament win 15-6 in 6 innings.
FRESHMAN TEAM FALLS IN EXTRAS
In their league first game against the Santa Margarita Eagles, the Freshmen saw a great pitching duel and went in to extra innings only to fall 1-5. Matt Hammonds had a terrific game on the mound, leaving in the 6th inning down 0-1 on an unearned run scored in the 2nd inning. The Lancers’ bats were stymied by the Eagles’ pitching, not getting their first hit until the bottom of the 5th when Casey Hershfield sent a shot into right field. Unfortunately he was stranded on base. Cody Sense and Jordan Moore each got hits in the 6th with two outs, but they were unable to score. In the bottom of the 7th, Drew Andary led off with a single; he was moved over on a sacrifice by Brad Rinehart and was knocked in by a Colby Walker single to tie the game. Going in to their first extra inning game, the Lancers had a tough time with the Eagles at the plate as they had three hit batters, gave up two hits and allowed four runs. Santa Margarita pitchers maintained their dominance on the night as they finished off the Lancers 1, 2, 3 in the bottom of the 8th to earn the league win and well-fought battle.
FRESHMEN BEAT SERVITE
The Freshmen took to the road and faced Servite at Glover Stadium the evening of March 30th. Behind 0-2 in the 2nd inning, the Lancer offense came alive in the top half of the 3rd getting five hits to score three; the Lancers never looked back. In the 4th, the Lancers took advantage of getting four walks and one hit batter to score two more runs. In the 5th and 6th innings they came up with two more runs to make the final score 7-4 in the game which was called after six complete, due to time. Cody Sense and Drew Andary led the team with two hits each, with Sense getting two timely RBI in the 3rd inning. Dalton Frize got the start on the mound with Justin Tidwell, Casey Hershfield and Colby Walker backing him up. Tidwell pitched 3-2/3 innings and got the win.
FRESHMEN ROUT JSERRA
The Freshman Lancers’ bats continued to stay hot in league play as 10 players had hits in their 17-3 win over JSerra at El Modena Park Saturday night.
Things started rolling right from the 1st inning, when 10 batters came to the plate and thanks to Cody Sense’s and Casey Hershfield’s two run doubles, four runs scored. Those weren’t the Lancers’ only extra base hits, as Jordan Moore smacked a triple to right field in the 3rd inning and Drew Andary had back-to-back triples; one to right field in the 4th inning and the next to left field in the 5th. Andary led the team with five RBI. Brad Rinehart got the start on the mound and earned his first league win, with Justin Tidwell and Colby Walker coming in to close things out. The Freshmen take on Servite and Santa Margarita this week before spending their Easter break in La Puente taking on some top-notch baseball programs in the Bishop Amat Tournament.
FRESHMEN BATS ARE BACK
There was no losing streak for the Freshman Lancers. They bounced back from their lop-sided loss at Mater Dei and jumped all over the St John Bosco pitchers, resoundingly beating the Braves 10-2. Finally getting a chance to play on their home field, the Lancers had a ten batter, six run 2nd inning to take a lead that they never gave up. In their half of the 2nd, the Freshmen had five hits, took advantage of two batters being hit at the plate as well as two Brave errors in scoring their six runs. To top things off, the Lancers came back to score two more runs in both the 5th and 6th innings. Outstanding pitching by starter Matt Hammonds, who earned his first league win was backed by solid defensive plays on the left side of the infield by Brad Rinehart and Chase Dominguez. Justin Tidwell pitched the 5th and 6th innings with only one Bosco batter reaching base and Colby Walker came in to close things out in the 7th facing just four Braves. Offensively Cody Sense and Casey Hershfield led the Lancers, each going 3 for 4 while Brad Rinehart led the team with three RBI. The Lancers will enjoy one more home game on Saturday night when they face the JSerra Lions.
FRESHMEN FALL TO MATER DEI
The Freshman Team’s six-game winning streak came to a halt when it opened Trinity League play at Mater Dei, March 20th. Unfortunately, the Freshmen mimicked the Varsity team too well, as they played the afternoon after Varsity’s defeat at Mater Dei & had an almost identical loss against the Monarchs. The Freshmen however gave up one more run, falling 0-8. Cody Sense had two hits, while Dalton Frize, Chase Dominguez and Brad Rinehart each had one; that was it for the Lancers’ bats. Those five hits were spread out over seven innings and the Lancers couldn’t put anything together offensively to get things going or get a run.
Hitting and scoring wasn’t the problem for the host Monarchs as they racked up nine hits – two of which were home runs. After a tough 4th inning, John Montgomery took the loss; his 1st for the Freshmen. Matt Hammonds, Colby Walker & Justin Tidwell came on in relief.
After seven games on the road, the Freshman Lancers look forward to staying at home and starting a new winning streak as they’ll be playing St John Bosco and JSerra at El Modena Park the end of this week.
FRESHMEN TAKE TWO
Monday, 3-15, the Freshmen only had to travel to Placentia to play, but wound up continuing the solid hitting that they’d had in the Inland Empire. In an afternoon double-header at El Dorado High School, the Lancers just followed behind their lead-off hitter Dalton Frize and got things going from the start of the game as they scored 2 runs in the 1st. Eight Lancer batters came to the plate in the top of the 2nd, putting together 5 hits and 5 runs, with Frize capping it off with an in-the-park home run. Since they were on a roll, the following inning 11 batters again stepped up, with five again getting hits; this time Casey Hershfield had the in-the-park homer. Adding to the hitting in the 3rd, Cody Sense sent a 1-1 pitch flying up the middle for an impressive triple & Chase Dominguez had his 2nd of three long singles down the left field line which made the score 12-2. In the Lancers’ high-scoring 2nd & 3rd, Hershfield & Frize were joined by Jordan Moore, Brad Rinehart & Reese Flynn in successfully getting on base both innings. The Lancers put together another string of hits in the 4th, making the score 14-2. Brad Rinehart pitched all 5 innings of the shortened game allowing just 5 hits and 2 runs.
The 2nd game once again had a load of Lancers on base. Taking advantage of fielding errors by El Dorado, as well as timely hitting, the Freshmen kept up their scoring – spreading it out a bit more this time. Dalton Frize once again led things off well and managed to reach base safely three out of four times at the plate, scoring three runs. Cody Sense & Colby Walker were on fire too, each being perfect at the plate this game. Casey Hershfield, Matt Hammonds & Walker took to the mound and helped their team get an 8-4 win, allowing just 5 hits while striking out 9 El Dorado batters.
MIGHTY CASEY AT THE BAT
Just like the famous poem, Casey came up to bat with the score 4-2 with one more inning to play…However, the Lancers’ Casey Hershfield had a MUCH better at bat than the classic poem’s legend. In the Freshman Team’s Championship Game against Murrieta Valley in the Corona Centennial Tournament, Hershfield came
up in the top of the 7th with the bases loaded
& his team trailing by two. Casey ripped the first pitch he saw to the center field fence for a
stand-up triple! With that one swing, the Lancers took their first lead since the top of the 1st inning of thegame. The score stayed 5-4 as Colby Walker got three of the four batters out that he faced
in the bottom of the 7th inning & the Lancers
captured the Championship!
Matt Hammonds was solid on the mound striking out seven batters in 4+ innings. Dalton Frize joined Hershfield with a multiple-hit game. Aggressive play calling by the coaches manufactured a run in the 5th inning to help the Lancers move within 2 runs of the host Nighthawks. The rest was history!
FRESHMAN BEAT ROOSEVELT 15-12
The Freshman Lancers had their first challenge of the young season Wednesday
(3-10) at Roosevelt High School in Norco. They got a taste of their own medicine as they were roughed up in the 3rd inning allowing 9 runs on 6 hits and 2 errors. But the Freshmen battled back, as Jordan Moore started a series of four consecutive singles in the 4th, bringing the score to 4-11. Dalton Frize smacked a triple in the 5th and Cody Sense belted a 2-run home run; that inning ended
11-12. Sense came up to bat the next inning & launched a towering shot to the deepest part of center field for another 2-run HR as the Lancers took the lead 13-12. They added two more insurance runs in the 7th to grab the win 15-12. Besides Frize & Sense, Matt Stumme & Chase Dominguez had great days at the plate with multiple hits & RBI. Casey Hershfield, Matt Hammonds & Justin Tidwell took to the mound with Tidwell getting his 2nd win of the season.
OFFENSE STAYS HOT FOR FRESHMAN
The Freshman bats stayed hot in the Corona Centennial Tournament, helping the team win its game against Heritage High School of Romoland 15-3! The “meat” of the batting order was on fire for the Lancers – Cody Sense went 4 for 4 with 3 RBI while also scoring 5 runs; Colby Walker was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI & Chase Dominguez hit right behind him going 3 for 5 with 4 RBI. Matt Stumme held things down behind the plate & threw two runners out attempting to steal 3rd at crucial points of the game, to help keep the opponents to just three runs. Justin Tidwell pitched a solid four innings; Colby Walker & Casey Hershfield closed the game out on the mound.
FRESHMAN START WITH ROUT
20 Lancer batters produced 14 runs in the top of the 3rd inning in the Freshman Team’s first “official” game. The red-hot bats allowed the team to get its first victory, 16-3, in game #1 of the Corona Centennial Tournament against Murrieta Mesa High School. Cody Sense (4 for 4) had the first of 2, back-to-back triples along with Colby Walker to get the rally going in the long 3rd inning. Drew Andary followed closely thereafter with a home run and the hitting kept on from there! Matt Hammonds threw 3-2/3 innings allowing just 3 runs on 2 hits against the host Rams. Drew Andary & Casey Hershfield came in in relief. Combined, the three pitchers had 12 strike-outs. Every Freshman player saw some action in the game and helped contribute to the team’s inaugural win!