Baldwin Park baseball picks the wrong day to run into Pasadena’s Elijah Park

The Baldwin Park baseball team picked the wrong day to run into Pasadena High pitcher Elijah Park.
Park, a right-handed freshman making his varsity debut, gave up just three hits in six-plus innings, striking out three while walking one as Pasadena shut out the visiting Braves, 2-0, on Thursday in a nonleague game as part of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament.
Park said he just felt good on the mound against Baldwin Park.
“I was locating my spots, both my fastball and my curveball,” Park said. “I had command of my pitches. Our defense was working well. I wasn’t nervous. I’m glad I pitched well.”
Pasadena coach Mike Parisi was impressed with Park’s close-to-perfect performance.
“I’m so proud of him,” Parisi said of Park. “A freshman out there, that’s the first freshman I’ve ever had start a varsity game for me in my 13 years. I was just hoping to get three, four innings out of him. What a bulldog he was. He attacked the strike zone, competed. Nothing got to him. He’s got a chance to be a special player.”
Baldwin Park coach Joe Laski agreed.
“He’s a young guy, but he did a pretty good job of throwing strikes,” Laski said.
Taking the loss was Braves pitcher Anthony Franco. Pitching almost as good as Park, Franco threw a six-inning complete game, allowing two unearned runs on four hits while striking out three and walking one.
“Anthony’s one of the hardest-working kids we have on this team,” Laski said of Franco. “He’s a guy who’s going to pitch a lot for us this year. He throws four pitches he can throw for strikes and he did that today. He did a good job of keeping their hitters off of their timing.”
Pasadena scored both of its runs in the third inning. Following singles by first baseman Andrew Lathouwers and shortstop Calvin Christiansen and a walk to second baseman Jeffrey Patrick, third baseman Frankie Garriola hit a grounder that went under the glove of Baldwin Park third baseman Christian Barraza and into left field, scoring Lathouwers and Christiansen.
That was all that Park would need.
Parisi said he was glad to get the victory.
It was a good team win. It was nice to get that one under the belt for the new year at our own place.
I’d rather be in these types of situations and win these close ballgames because win didn’t win some last year. It’s nice. These close games are good wins for us.
Taking over on the mound in the seventh inning and getting the save was Garriola, getting Parisi’s attention.
“He’s got a pretty good arm,” Parisi said of Garriola. “When he keeps the ball down, he’s effective. He kept the ball down in the zone today.”
Laski said balls off the Braves’ bats just weren’t falling in against the Bulldogs.
“I felt like we hit some balls hard, but there defense was really good,” he said. “They made all the plays. I give Pasadena’s defense all the credit today.”
(Shel Segal can be reached at ssegal@beaconmedianews.com. Follow him via Twitter @segallanded.)

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