Baseball team sweeps East Los Angeles in regional
May 10, 2008
The Irvine Valley baseball team is moving on to the Super Regionals for the second time in program history.
But it wasn't easy.
The Lasers, who were seeded fourth, won two straight games against No. 13 East Los Angeles in a first round regional, capping the weekend with a dramatic 3-1 win over the Huskies on Saturday at IVC.
Irvine Valley also moved on to a Super Regional in 2005. That was the only other year IVC has made the playoffs. And the Lasers also won two straight from East Los Angeles that year in the first round regional to advance.
The Lasers will most likely play in the Super Regional at Santa Ana next Friday. If seedings hold uup, the Lasers will face Southwestern in a game at 11 a.m. on Friday with Riverside and Santa Ana playing in the other game of the Super Regional on Friday. But definite sites and times still need to be determined.
"It is exciting," Irvine Valley Coach Kent Madole said. "We have a good club and the guys all deserve this. This is what you play all year for."
Irvine Valley - the designated visiting team on Saturday - scored two runs in the top of the first to take the lead.
Center fielder Matt Ivanoff singled and later scored on an RBI double by shortstop Abel Medina. And Medina scored shortly after on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Connor Rhoads.
East Los Angeles answered back with a run in the bottom of the first on two hits and an IVC error.
Pitcher Pete Lavin had an RBI single up the middle to bring in ELAC's run.
East Los Angeles had runners on second and third with just one out later in the inning, but Irvine Valley freshman pitcher Matt Reyes struck out Anthony Cruz and Paul Franco to get out of the jam.
Both pitchers settled in after the first inning. Reyes got some help from his defense. Vince Hungerford made two good plays at third base, Ivanoff made a diving catch in center, Rhoads picked a couple of throws out of the dirt at first base and Medina made a great stop and then throw from short to get a runner at first.
Neither team scored again until IVC pushed across a run in the top of the ninth inning against Lavin, who went the distance on the mound for East Los Angeles.
Hungerford singled through the left side and after he was sacrificed to second by pinch-hitter Mike Franco, he scored on a two-out single to left field by right fielder Brian Ferrante.
IVC had closer Dean Persinger on the mound in the ninth, but the Huskies continued to battle.
They loaded the bases on an IVC error, a single and a walk. With one out, Persinger struck out Frank Castellanos. Lavin, ELAC's leading hitter stepped to the plate.
Lavin entered the playoffs batting .404 and was 4 for 5 against the Lasers on Friday.
But he didn't get a chance to make a difference.
A pitch by Persinger got away from Irvine Valley catcher Alex Agortsas. The Huskies' Jack Hall tried to score from third, but Agortsas got to the ball in enough time and made the throw to Persinger, who tagged Hall out at home for the final out.
"Pitching and defense is what got it done for us today," Madole said. "We had three errors, but we made some tremendous plays out there.
"Their guy (Lavin) was tough on the mound. We just got some hits when we needed them. Vince's at bat in the ninth was great and Brian Ferrante really came through with a big hit to drive in that extra run for us."
Ivanoff was 2 for 5 with a run scord, Medina went 2 for 4 with a run scored and one RBI, Ferrante was 1 for 5 with one RBI, Rhoads went 1 for 3 with one RBI and Hungerford was 1 for 2.
Reyes picked up his eighth win of the year, improving to 8-2. He went 6.0 innings and gave up one run on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Robert Purpura pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, giving up one hit, before Persinger got the final four outs of the game.
Basilio Martinez and Jordan Larson each went 2 for 4 for East Los Angeles.
*A Super Regional schedule will be posted on Sunday