Riding a 4-0 league record, the Culver City High School baseball team (9-6-1 overall) takes a break from league action this week after a doubleheader played last week against visiting Whittier Christian High School and a game last Saturday in the ongoing Redondo Tournament.
The Centaurs won all three league games last week, defeating Beverly Hills 11-9 on Tuesday and 8-0 last Thursday over the Normans. The Centaurs completed the second league game against Hawthorne the following day, romping over the Cougars at Hawthorne, 14-2.
Blame shaky pitching or credit outstanding hitting to explain their offensive barrage in an 11-9 win over Beverly Hills in the first match-up.
Culver City starting pitcher Tyler Mark pitched three innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts before giving way to Brian Ibarra in the fourth, who allowed four runs (two earned) in 1 2/3 innings. Ryan Mattingly entered to record the last out of the fifth inning. Skyler Blocker relieved Mattingly, going 1 1/3 innings before loading the bases in the top of the seventh inning. Mario Fragoso entered the game and got two fly ball outs to earn the save.
Blocker went 4 for 4, scored three runs and had an RBI. Chris Caines was 1 for 3, with the game-winning hit in the sixth inning, driving in a pair of runs. Adkison went 2 for 4, scored and had an RBI. George Aceves went 1 for 2, with a clutch two-RBI hit in the fifth.
In the Thursday game, Lukas O’Connor pitched a two-hit complete game to defeat the Normans 8-0.
“Lukas had a tremendous game and our bats are coming alive,” said head coach Rick Prieto.
Rodney Bradley homered for the Centaurs. Adkison went 1 for 3 with two stolen bases. Aceves was 3 for 4 with an RBI. Ryan Mulvihill and Blocker went 1 for 3, and Mark had a two-RBI single.
The Centaurs continued to smack the ball around, with 14 hits in their previously mentioned win over Hawthorne last Friday. With the Centaurs leading 3-0, Adkison (2 for 4) hit a grand slam in the second inning to secure the victory. Bradley went 2 for 5 and scored twice. Aceves went 2 for 4 and scored two runs. Mulvihill was 3 for 5, with a pair of RBI, and Darian Sylvester went 2 for 4.
Mark earned the victory, pitching four strong innings. Fragoso hurled a scoreless fifth frame. Mattingly completed the game, pitching two innings and allowing a pair of runs on three hits.
The Centaurs took a 6-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh and ended up losing, 7-6, to North Torrance, Saturday, in the third-round game of the Redondo Tournament.
Fragoso pitched four outstanding innings, allowing only one run on three hits. Blocker followed Fragoso with two scoreless innings. However, in the seventh, Ibarra allowed a walk and seven hits, resulting in a 6-6 tie. With the bases loaded, Pablo Saucedo relieved Ibarra. Saucedo got the ground ball he needed but the throw from third base to home plate was in the dirt, allowing the winning run to score.