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NEWS AND NOTES FROM PRESS ROW: Gahr baseball, softball wrap up prestigious tournaments as regular season winds down


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By Loren Kopff
@LorenKopff on Twitter

 

The Gahr High baseball team entered the National Classic High School Baseball Tournament with two wins. After the first two days of the 30-year event that features some of the best teams from across the country, the Gladiators had doubled that number as the tournament came to an end on Apr. 5.

Gahr, which had not won consecutive games all season, defeated Birmingham High 6-2 this past Monday and edged El Dorado High 9-8 the next night. In one semifinal contest played at California State University, Fullerton this past Wednesday, the Gladiators (4-13-1 overall, 0-1 in the San Gabriel Valley League) fell to San Dimas High 7-1. The team would play Redondo High in the third place game on Apr. 5 before getting back into SGVL action on Monday against Dominguez High in the first of a home and home series. Gahr will also host Lynwood High on Tuesday, play the second game with the Dons on Wednesday on the road and travel to Lynwood on Thursday with a chance to get back in the SGVL race. Those two teams have historically been the bottom two teams of the league. Beginning with Monday’s game, Gahr has 11 games left in the regular season and depending on the outcome of the Redondo game, would need to win all of them to avoid the program’s first losing campaign since 2008.

Meanwhile, the softball team is on pace to win at least 20 games for the fifth straight season as the Lady Gladiators took control of the SGVL with a 7-3 win at Warren High this past Tuesday. The next night, the Lady Gladiators knocked off Santiago High 5-2 in the 21stannual Michelle Carew Tournament. The win over Santiago gave the Lady Gladiators 10 wins in 12 games, including a 3-0 league mark. They faced Cienega of Vail, AZ on Apr. 5 and will have three more games in the tournament before travelling to Downey High on Tuesday and hosting Paramount High on Wednesday. The busy schedule continues with a road meeting against Dominguez on Thursday. Including a doubleheader with Chino Hills High on Apr. 12, Gahr will have played 11 games in 10 days.

ARTESIA

The struggles continue for the baseball team, which was shutout by Cerritos High last week, getting one hit in each of the two games with the Dons in the home and home series. The Pioneers then fell to Whitney High 4-2 this past Tuesday to drop to 1-14 overall, 0-3 in the 605 League. Artesia High has been blanked five times this season and held to a run four other times. The Pioneers have yet to score more than five funs in any game and in league competition, have mustered half a dozen hits. They will host Whitney today, then entertain John Glenn High on Tuesday to begin a home and home series with the Eagles.

The softball team is just the opposite as it is enjoying its best season in over two decades. The Lady Pioneers blasted Oxford Academy 29-1 this past Tuesday, the second straight game they have scored over 20 runs, and improved to 11-3 overall, 3-1 in league. Since 2013, the program had won 10 games three times before this season and no more than eight wins from 1998-2013. Artesia will visit Pioneer High today, then host Cerritos on Tuesday and Pioneer again on Thursday.

CERRITOS

The baseball team is pretty much assured of going to the playoffs following an 8-1 victory over Glenn this past Tuesday. At 12-6 overall and 3-0 in the circuit, the Dons are tied with Oxford Academy for first place, and those two teams play each other the last week of the regular season. Cerritos visits Glenn today before going to Pioneer on Tuesday in the front end of a home and home series.

The softball team continues its surge to a potential league title, easing past Whitney 13-1 this past Tuesday to move to 8-7 overall and 4-0 in league. The Lady Dons, who have won six of their past seven games, host Oxford Academy today before going to Artesia on Tuesday in what will pretty much decide first place. On Mar. 19, Cerritos edged Artesia 7-6 as those teams are favored to be the top two teams in league.

JOHN GLENN

The loss to Cerritos this past Tuesday left the baseball team at 7-9 overall and 0-3 in league. For the Eagles to advance to the playoffs, they would need to win at least five of their last seven games. After hosting Cerritos today, Glenn faces Artesia, Pioneer and Whitney to conclude the season, teams with a combined 14 victories.

The softball team is on course to go through the program’s second straight winless league season. The Lady Eagles dropped a 16-0 decision to Pioneer this past Tuesday and is 1-8 overall, 0-4 in league. Glenn has been shutout in back to back games and has allowed 62 runs in league competition. It will host Whitney today and Oxford Academy on Tuesday. Glenn is also on pace for the program’s worst record since 2008 when it went winless.

VALLEY CHRISTIAN

The Defenders have been shutout in three straight baseball games and have seen their mark fall to 8-7 overall and 1-6 in the Olympic League. Valley Christian High’s playoff chances are dwindling as it hosts third place Whittier Christian High today before travelling to Heritage Christian High on Saturday. The Defenders, who close out the regular season with a home and home series against first place Maranatha High, will also have a pair of non-league games in hopes of finishing the regular season with a winning mark.

The softball team was whitewashed by Maranatha 10-0 this past Tuesday and is 6-6 overall, 0-2 in league. The Lady Defenders travelled to Village Christian High on Apr. 4 and are scheduled to host Whittier Christian on Monday before going to Heritage Christian on Tuesday.

WHITNEY

The easiest part of the baseball team’s schedule ends today when the Wildcats visit Artesia today. At 6-4 overall and 1-2 in league, Whitney will have to surprise either Oxford Academy next week, Cerritos in two weeks or Glenn on the last week of the season in order to claim the final automatic spot to advance to the playoffs.

The softball team should be okay for at least third place as the Lady Wildcats (9-6, 2-2) visit last place Glenn today and fourth place Pioneer on Tuesday before hosting Glenn again on Thursday. The program is seeking to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.