Catcher’s Homer Wins It for Foothill

Cerritos Gahr was four outs from defeating Santa Ana Foothill and ace right-hander Phil Hughes in a Southern Section Division II first-round baseball game Friday, but light-hitting catcher Dan Kirkpatrick hit a two-run homer to give the Knights a 2-1 victory at Foothill.

It was the first home run in high school for Kirkpatrick, a junior who bats No. 8 in the lineup.

“He had never even come close,” said Coach Gary Fishel of Foothill (23-4). “It just shows how magic can happen in the playoffs.”

The Gladiators, who started three freshmen and two sophomores, nearly pulled off the upset of the day after scoring an unearned run off Hughes (9-1), considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Southland, and holding the lead for five innings.

Gahr (20-6-1) collected nine hits off Hughes, led by freshman third-baseman Victor Sanchez, who had two hits and drove in its only run. Sanchez’s brother, sophomore George Sanchez (6-3), went the distance on the mound, allowing eight hits and striking out three.

-- Dan Arritt

Mark Trumbo’s two-out, run-scoring single in the bottom of the 16th inning salvaged a 3-2 victory for top-seeded Villa Park in a Division I game against visiting Temescal Canyon. Trumbo, who pitched six innings and gave up both runs, had a two-run homer in the first and finished with three hits.

Dane Ferguson (6-0) pitched 10 innings of four-hit relief with 10 strikeouts to earn the victory.

-- Jim Carr

Softball

The Baseline League made a strong showing in the first round of the Southern Section Division I playoffs.

The second- and third-place teams won, including a 3-0 upset by third-place Etiwanda (19-9) over third-seeded and defending champion Irvine Woodbridge. Rachel Lopez (15-7) pitched a two-hitter with six strikeouts and one walk for Etiwanda, which won the title in 2002.

Lopez retired the Warriors (21-10) in order in five of the seven innings. She got the offense she needed in the fourth inning. After an error, back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Jaclyn Carrillo and Irayma Smith made it 2-0.

The Baseline League’s second-place team, Rancho Cucamonga, defeated Anaheim Esperanza, 6-4, with three hits and three runs from Vernae Sevilla. First-place Upland lost to Los Alamitos, 1-0.

Baseline League teams won Division I titles in 2001 and 2002.

-- Martin Henderson

Boys’ Volleyball

Santa Ana Mater Dei had second-seeded Westlake Village Westlake on the ropes Friday, but the Monarchs committed 46 unforced errors and Westlake escaped with a five-game victory in the Southern Section Division I quarterfinal match.

The 23-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-19, 15-11 victory advances Westlake, which committed 44 unforced errors, to Wednesday’s semifinal against Irvine Woodbridge.

Host Mater Dei was in control, 15-13, in the fourth game when Westlake rallied with four consecutive points. The final point of that rally came on a kill by Joey Zuziak. Mater Dei led, 7-3, in the fifth game following a block by John Thomas, who finished with 13 kills and two blocks. But Westlake tied the score, 10-10, and then Mater Dei surrendered four of the last five points on hitting errors.

Matt Schneider led Westlake with 14 kills..

-- Paul McLeod

Basketball

Amir Johnson, a 6-foot-9 center from Westchester who missed all but four games of his junior season after being declared ineligible by the City Section during a recruiting investigation, was reinstated to the team on Monday after an appeal by his attorney, Charles McLurkin.

The City Section also has agreed to make changes in its appeal process, according to Commissioner Barbara Fiege.

-- Eric Sondheimer