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.
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.
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.
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
