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View Winners → Monrovia Stays “Fair” to Beat Whittier Christian in CIF Round 1
Monrovia Weekly May 26, 2015
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The Monrovia Wildcats defeated the Whittier Christian Heralds 6-1 in the first round of the Division 5 CIF Southern Section Baseball Tournament on Thursday.
Brian McConnell (#12) was the starter for the Wildcats and pitched four innings with two hits, a run, two walks and seven strikeouts.
Brian McConnell sends a batter to the bench with his side-armed delivery – By Jacob Bigley
Whittier Christian’s starter Cooper Hughes (#3) pitched all seven innings, allowing six hits for six runs and four strikeouts.
The climax of the game came in the bottom of the fourth inning with the game tied 1-1 with two outs, Eric Herrera (#13) on second and Zach Zepeda (#8) on first. Steven Ochoa (#3) came in to run for Zepeda as Ben Goettling (#26) stepped into the batter’s box.
Goettling then ripped a ball down the left field line and took off running as the umpire signaled a fair ball. Goettling was awarded a ground-rule double as the ball rolled out of play due to an open fence in left field.
Ben Goettling (#26) rips a ground-rule double down the left field line giving the Wildcat’s a 2-1 lead – By Jacob Bigley
The umpire’s fair signal drew boos and disagreement from Whittier Christian fans, players and coaches. Head Coach Brent Lavoie came out to argue, claiming it was a foul ball.
The umpires had a group discussion and ruled that the call would stand, putting the Wildcats up 2-1.
Bases were then loaded when Fidel Jiorge (#2) was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Juan Quinonez (#21). Déjà vu struck as Quinonez hit a hard ground ball down the left field line as well resulting in another fair signal from the umpire and a three-run double for the Wildcats.
Juan Quinonez hits a base-clearing, three-run double to put the Wildcats up 5-1. – By Jacob Bigley
Once again, Lavoie came out to argue the call to no avail. The call was upheld, and the Wildcat’s took a commanding 5-1 lead.
Monrovia brought in Justin Rosedale to pitch the remaining three innings. Rosedale – or “Rosie,” as the fans screamed in support – provided a dominating closing performance. He allowed no hits, runs or walks and tallied four strikeouts.
Three of the strikeouts came in the seventh inning when Rosedale retired the side, earning a save that helped advance the Wildcats to the second round.
Monrovia’s next game is against Moreno Valley on Tuesday, May 26 at a neutral field. The Moreno Valley Vikings won Thursday’s home playoff game 2-1 against Linfield Christian.
Article and Photos by Jacob Bigley
