First published in the April 14 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
The La Cañada High School varsity baseball team tied host Monrovia, 1-1, in a Rio Hondo League game that ended due to darkness after 13 innings on Tuesday.
LCHS had taken a break from league competition and won two of its three previous nonleague games on the road. The Spartans had their three-game win streak snapped after being shut out at Campbell Hall High of North Hollywood, 8-0, on Saturday. Senior Brandon Cho, junior Chris Huh, junior Allan Kang and junior Alex Higa each tallied a base hit, while senior Ryan Kiessling acted as a “ball magnet” by reaching base on three hit-by-pitches.
Meanwhile, junior pitcher Ethan Geller struck out two over five innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk.
Visiting La Cañada narrowly defeated Crescenta Valley High, 6-4, last Friday after plating two crucial runs in the top of the fifth to ultimately decide the ball game. Freshman Carson Kelly picked up the win after allowing three earned runs over six innings with nine strikeouts. LCHS senior Adam Geller, who went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored, worked around an unearned run with two strikeouts to shut the door and earn the save.
Kiessling finished 3-for-3 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored, while junior James Won tallied a base hit, an RBI and a run scored. Freshman Josh Proctor added a base hit and a run scored, while Higa and sophomore Hayden Dancsecs each produced a base hit. Ethan Geller and freshman Leon Chen each scored once, while the former added a stolen base.
The visiting Spartans routed their neighbor St. Francis, 11-6, last Wednesday after jumping out to a 7-0 lead after the first two innings. Dancsecs led the offense with a 4-for-5 performance, including a double and four RBIs, while Adam Geller went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, a triple, three stolen bases and two runs scored. Higa tallied two hits and two runs scored, Chen plated a pair of hits, two stolen bases and a run scored, and Ethan Geller recorded a base hit and a run scored. Proctor produced a base hit and a run scored, while junior Mateo Gallegos, Huh and Kiessling each scored once.
The fourth-place Spartans (11-6-1 overall record, 2-5-1 in league) will visit third-place South Pasadena (4-4 in league) for a rubber game of the season series between the two schools. LCHS previously lost at home, 7-5, on March 22, but won at South Pas, 5-1, on March 4.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
The Wolves were shut out and held to four hits in a 2-0 nonleague loss at Monrovia on Saturday. Senior Nicholas Gonzalez, senior Spencer Seid and junior John Kully each tallied a base hit. Meanwhile, Max Brunngraber, who collected a base hit at the plate, was tagged with the loss, allowing two earned runs on three hits and three walks over six quality innings with six strikeouts.
For the second time in just over a week, a Flintridge Prep pitcher tossed a no-hitter. This time the honor went to Seid, who only allowed two walks over five innings with eight strikeouts to help defeat visiting Providence High of Burbank, 11-0, evening last Thursday. Seid helped his own cause at the plate, registering a double, three RBIs and a run scored. Kully doubled with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored, while Brunngraber tripled and scored once. Senior Josh Beserra and freshman Will Koh each tallied a base hit, an RBI and a run scored, junior Graham DesHotel produced an RBI and a pair of runs scored, Gonzalez tallied two RBIs, and senior Dominick Schraeder had one RBI.
Flintridge Prep had its five-game win streak snapped and suffered its first league loss after falling at Providence, 10-8, last Tuesday. Kully collected a base hit, two RBIs and a pair of runs scored, Schraeder went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Brunngraber finished 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Koh and Beserra each scored once, DesHotel tallied an RBI, and senior Nathan Park reached on a pair of walks.
The first-place Wolves (6-1 in league, 15-4 overall), who own a comfortable two-game advantage over second-place Pasadena Poly, will travel to Rio Hondo Prep in Arcadia on Friday, April 15, at 3:30 p.m.
ST. FRANCIS
The Golden Knights hosted their neighbor La Cañada and lost a nonleague game, 11-6, last Wednesday. Sophomore John Calmette paced the offense with a pair of base hits, while freshman Jordan Lewallen went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Senior Luke Fogarty finished with a base hit and an RBI, and senior Simon Lee and sophomore Brody Ruyle each produced a base hit and a run scored. Senior Quinn Deitch registered a base hit, junior Grant Valentine recorded a pair of runs scored and two RBIs, and senior Miles Leyva tallied an RBI.
St. Francis (3-18 overall, 2-13 in league) will host Valencia in a nonleague game on Monday, April 18, at 3:30 p.m.
