GATEWAY LEAGUE BASEBALL: Four pitchers allow two hits as La Mirada wins another outright league title

The La Mirada High baseball team locked down the program’s 11th straight outright league title and 33rd overall following a 9-0 win over Bellflower High last Friday. PHOTO BY LOREN KOPFF.

By Loren Kopff • @Loren Kopff on X

It was an end to one of the longest rivalries from the original Suburban League when La Mirada High faced Bellflower High and 31-year veteran head coach Keith Tripp last Friday. Next season, when the new Suburban Valley Conference kicks in, the two baseball programs will be in different leagues and don’t figure to face each other in non-league action anytime soon.

The host Matadores, behind four pitchers, claimed their 33^rd league title, including their 11^th straight, and shutout the Buccaneers 9-0 in the final Gateway League contest in 2026. La Mirada improves to 21-6, 10-2 and has gone 101-8 in league action since the 2016 season, whether it was  the Suburban League or Gateway League, winning the last two league titles by a game over Gahr High and four other league crowns by two games.

“I say it every year, when you start getting tired of doing this, or this feels like it’s normal, you should retire because it’s not normal,” said La Mirada head coach Jimmy Zurn. “This starts in August, and our league is really, really good this year. A lot of people, and rightfully so, I understood because I heard it…La Mirada is going to be down; they lost all these guys from last year. You know what, we’ve got guys; it’s just their turn to step up. And we may look a little different in areas, right? But at the same time, La Mirada is built one way. It’s been this way since before I was player in [the program], and it’s just that hunger, that desire, how we work.”

Senior pitcher Jacob Oropeza set the tone early, retiring the first five batters on 18 pitches before Noah Lopez singled on the first pitch he saw. Two batters later, Santino Pineda led off the third inning with a one-strike single to right field before Oropeza sat down the next six batters to end his day. Oropeza pitched four innings, throwing 43 pitches and struck out two. He reached a full count twice and was ahead in the count to five of the 14 batters he faced.

“He is a four-year guy for us that…two years ago, he started in a second round [playoff] game at Foothill batting cleanup for us,” said Zurn. “He’s a kid that we had high hopes for this year and his year hadn’t gotten off to the best start that I don’t even think he anticipated, number one. He continues to work, and he understands that if I’m not getting it done, this is more of an offensive side. But you look at what he’s doing on the mound right now and his numbers on the season, and it’s pretty impressive. He’s a guy who’s getting hot at the right time at the plate.”

Sophomore Jeremiah Gomez and senior Adrian Meraz worked a perfect fifth and sixth inning, respectively, combining for 19 pitches and a pair of strikeouts while junior Noah Lee struck out the first two batters he faced in the seventh before walking Raymond Estrada. After advancing on a wild pitch, Estrada was caught third to end the game.

Offensively, the only run the Matadores needed came in the bottom of the second when Jaythan Cardenas walked senior shortstop Jesse Colon with one out followed by a single from Oropeza. Then with two outs, senior right fielder Aaron Sykes singled to load the bases. But a throwing error allowed junior second baseman Michael Burgueno to reach first and clear the bases.

The Matadores put the game away in the third inning when they scored four times. F reshman third baseman Blake Barberena led off with a double to the left field gap, followed by a walk to senior catcher Justin Torres. Senior left fielder then reached on the second of three errors to load the bases before Cardenas hit Colon to bring in Barberena. Oropeza then singled to bring in Torres followed by a sacrifice fly from senior center fielder Noah Rodriguez and an infield knock from Sykes.

The Matadores tacked on their final two runs in the sixth inning to complete the program’s 21^st straight win over the Buccaneers. And even though they may not be facing each other for a long time, Zurn has nothing but the highest praise for Tripp and the Bellflower baseball program.

“I have known Keith for a very, very long time; 25 years, and he is one of the guys I respect the most in this game,” said Zurn. “I love him to death; as a player going against his teams, as a coach going against him and I have nothing but respect. Bellflower has always been and will always be in good hands, and I’m excited for its future of what it has to do. I’m always pulling for them from afar.”

La Mirada’s last regular season game is Wednesday against what figures to be a new league opponent next season-La Serna High. The two, plus Downey High, Gahr High and Warren High are expected to be in the Gateway League, the top of the four leagues that will comprise of the SVC next season.

“It’s exciting; four of the five team are going to stay, and that’s kind of how it is every year,” said Zurn. “One is going to come up, and one is going to go down. It will be exciting to add La Serna, if they are the fifth team to come in. But nothing changes on our end. It’s here’s your schedule, this is your league, and our job is to try to protect and keep the league title at home where it belongs. I’m proud; this is 11 in a row for us.”