By Aaron Valdez
The Wildcats of Monrovia baseball are one step closer to championship glory after a remarkable 11-0 victory over Sierra Vista in the second round of the Division 4 CIF Southern Section Playoffs on Tuesday.
Coming off a narrow 3-2 win over Pacifica in the first round last Thursday, it seemed the Wildcats still had a lot of things to tidy up if they wished to make a deep run in this year’s playoffs. Following that game against the Tritons, starting pitcher Josh Delgado said Monrovia went into the game lacking a sense of urgency, which is something that needs to change in the later rounds.
“Everyone was kind of lazy,” Delgado said. “No one was yelling as much as they used to and I think we came out overhyping ourselves. We got to be louder in the dugout and mess with the pitchers like we usually do.”
However, this certainly was not the case in Tuesday’s game as the Wildcats evidently took heed to their ace’s advice and forged their best offensive game of the season. Sierra Vista, co-champions of the Montview League, had no answers for Monrovia’s high-flying bats and refined pitching.
After a scoreless first inning, the Wildcats opened a 2-0 lead in the second frame. Monrovia then delivered the essential knockout blow by racking up four runs in both the third and fourth innings.
Seven different Wildcats posted one RBI apiece but it was Steven Bermudez who had the best performance at the plate, as the senior was a perfect 3-of-3. Julian Gomeztrejo took care of business on the mound, going five full innings with three strikeouts. Closer Chantz Powers also recorded a notable performance, picking up three strikeouts and allowing no hits in 1.1 innings of work.
Monrovia will move on to the quarterfinals where it will travel to Northview High School for a game against the 21-9 Vikings.
