Finals began this week at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, but when you’re headed to the Air Force Academy, you know how to make the best of plans. Malakye Matsumoto, the Knights’ talented baseball player, had one final on Friday before taking on Corona in a Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal playoff game.
It was in art class. Nothing against art, but much better than advanced placement calculus.
“I’m good planning ahead,” he said.
He’s also multi-talented on the diamond, hitting a double and triple, getting three RBIs, making several tough plays at third base and pitching one inning in relief during a 7-2 victory over the Panthers. Notre Dame will play at Norco on Tuesday in the semifinals.
“This is the best senior year I could have asked for,” Matsumoto said.
The atmosphere on Friday at Notre Dame was electric. It was standing-room only in the bleachers and fans watching from the parking lot on the second and third floors. The biggest moment came in the fourth inning when Corona loaded the bases looking to get back into the game down 4-0.
That’s when pitcher AJ LaSota came through with consecutive strikeouts to end the inning and charged into the dugout so pumped he almost knocked over a teammate.
Notre Dame (23-8) went through a six-game losing streak in April, creating uncertainty and skepticism from outsiders. But Matsumoto said he knew they were still a good team.
AJ LaSota lets out a roar after a strikeout in Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s 7-2 win over Corona.
(Craig Weston)
“A lot of people lost hope in our team,” he said. “I didn’t.”
Lachlan Clark came in to pitch with one out and the bases loaded in the sixth and finished off the victory. He pitches every game as if it’s the Little League World Series and can’t wait to start against Norco on Tuesday.
“Fire me up,” he said. “I love this sport. It’s my whole life. These are my brothers. I’m fighting for them.”
It will be Notre Dame’s first road game of the playoffs. “I’m better on the road,” Clark said.
Don’t know if he was joking or not.
Norco 3, Orange Lutheran 0: Jordan Ayala struck out 10, walked none and gave up two hits to send the Cougars into the Division 1 semifinals. He also hit a home run. Norco was clinging to a 1-0 lead until scoring two runs in the seventh on a Codey Brown sacrifice fly and throwing error. Norco was seeded No. 1 in the tournament but lost to Notre Dame 4-0 during pool play. Now the Cougars get a second chance.
Harvard-Westlake 2, Cypress 1: All the scoring was done in the first inning, then it became a pitching duel and the Wolverines pulled it out when Evan Alexander got a groundout in the seventh with the tying run on third. Justin Kirchner made it through six innings and 110 pitches. Tyler Belfanti struck out six in six innings for Cypress.
The winning run for Harvard-Westlake was driven in by freshman Louis Lappe, hero of El Segundo’s walk-off Little League World Series win. Harvard-Westlake will face either St. John Bosco or La Mirada in Tuesday’s semifinals.
Loyola 3, Bishop Alemany 0: The two Mission League schools battled it out to a scoreless tie for six innings before Jack Murray hit a three-run home run in the seventh to send Loyola into the Division 2 semifinals. Freshman Sheriff Hall gave up one hit in six innings. Owen Lieb got the save.
Foothill 3, Yucaipa 1: Evrett Rycroft and Grady Wright combined on a three-hitter. Foothill will play Loyola in the Division 2 semifinals.
Newport Harbor 8, Aquinas 0: Keaton Anderson threw a three-hitter, striking out five and walking one, to send the Sailors into the Division 2 semifinals. Grant Horsley had a three-run home run.
Ganesha 4, Elsinore 0: Logan Schmidt pitched Ganesha into the Division 2 semifinals against Newport Harbor.
St. Francis 3, Warren 1: Caysen Sullivan threw six scoreless innings and Donovan Udell came on in the seventh to escape a bases loaded situation for the save in the Division 3 quarterfinals.
Mira Costa 13, Dos Pueblos 6: Ace Tarango finished with four hits and three RBIs in a Division 3 quarterfinal. Mira Costa will play St. Francis in the semifinals.
Agoura 4, Fullerton 1: First-year coach Adam Goldstein has the Chargers in the Division 3 semifinals. Donovan Anthony threw a complete game. Jordan Tagawa and Cooper Stutler had two hits each.
Long Beach Millikan 1, Summit 0: Daunte Bell threw the shutout with six strikeouts. Millikan will face Agoura in the Division 3 semifinals. Shane Wally had an RBI single in the fifth.
Fremont 2, Hamilton 0: The Pathfinders won the City Section Division III championship, their first since 1992, behind the standout pitching from senior James Harris IV, who threw a complete game. Pedro Coronado went three for three with a double and RBI.
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