Baseball Faces Cerritos With Southern California Sectional Final Berth On the Line
TORRANCE, Calif. – No.11 El Camino College heads to South Coast Conference divisional rival, No. 1 Cerritos College for the CCCAA Southern California Super Regionals and a spot in the CCCAA Southern California Sectional Finals on the line. Game one will be played on Friday at 2:00 PM, while Game two will be played on Saturday at 1:00 PM. And if necessary Game three will take place on Sunday at noon. The Warriors are looking to make their second consecutive CCCAA Southern California Sectional Final in a row.
CERRITOS SUPER REGIONAL GAME SCHEDULE
Game 1, 5/11: El Camino at Cerritos | 2:00 PM PT |
Game 2, 5/12: El Camino at Cerritos | 1:00 PM PT |
Game 3, 5/13: El Camino at Cerritos | 12:00 PM PT | *
*denotes if necessary game
EVERYBODY'S GOT A PRICE
Tickets for this weekend's Baseball SoCal Super Regional Playoff games are: $12 General Admission; $8 for Seniors 60 and over, and children 12 and under.
The Pitchers (Probable Starters)
Friday
ECC RHP Kenneth Haus (9-1, 2.37 ERA) at Cerritos, - LHP, Gilbert Romero (8-0, 1.56 ERA)
Saturday
ECC RHP Spencer Long (4-5, 3.10 ERA) at Cerritos, - RHP, Micah Hee (4-2, 2.68 ERA)
Sunday (if necessary)
ECC RHP Daniel Alvarez (6-3, 4.37 ERA) at Cerritos, - LHP, Vincent Fuentes (4-2, 3.00 ERA) or RHP Valentin Flores-Gomez (5-1, 3.68 ERA)
Follow the Action
You can follow the El Camino College Baseball team on twitter @elcobaseball for live game updates.
The Series So Far
-El Camino College lost the regular season series 2-1 vs the Cerritos Falcons in March. The Warriors were home for two of the those games.
-The Cerritos ace Gilbert Romero was able to start two games vs the Warriors due to one of the games being pushed into the next week because of rain. Romero threw 16 scoreless innings, allowed six hits, five walks, and struck out fourteen Warriors.
-The Falcons outscored the Warriors 12 runs to 7 runs and outhit the Warriors 23 hits to 22 hits.
-Cody Wissler picked up five hits in the series and batted .454 against the Falcons
Recapping the March Series:
The Warriors took Game One of the series in dramatic fashion after tying the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the 9th inning before Jerry Granillo singled in the tying run with two outs. They won the game in the 11th inning after Spencer Long got the game winning hit. After a rainy week that postponed what was to be the second game of the series until the following Monday, Game Two was played again on Saturday at Warrior Field. The Warrior fell in Game Two, 8-5. After taking an early 1-0 lead in the Game, the Warriors gave up eight runs before they responded with two runs in the seventh and ninth inning. In Game Three at Cerritos College's Kincaid Field, the Falcons were able to use their ace again who shut the Warriors out for a three-hit shutout and the Falcons took the game 3-0.
RECAPPING THE MOORPARK CCCAA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL
The No.11 Warriors defeated the No.6 Moorpark Raiders on the road 2-1 to take the series. Kenneth Haus was masterful in Game One and threw eight shutout before Jerry Granillo preserved the win by throwing out a runner at the plate to end the game. The Warriors fell in Game Two, 6-1. Spencer Long took the loss after allowing 5 runs (4 runs) in 5.1 innings and the offense left twelve men on base off eight hits. In Game 3 of Saturday's doubleheader, the Warriors jumped to an early 1-0 lead before allowing the Raiders to take a 5-1 lead after the third inning. Max Pappas came in and shoved the final 5.1 innings allowing zero runs, 3 hits, one walk, and 3 strikeouts. The Warriors scored eight unanswered runs to take the series finale, 9-5. Long crushed a 3-run home run to tie the game at 5-5 in the 6th inning, Trevor McInerney hit the go-ahead pinch hit single in the eighth inning, before Matthew Beserra blew the game open with a 3-run blast in the 9th inning.
The Road Warriors
El Camino College will have to spend their post-season on the road after being handed the No. 11 in Southern California. The Warriors are the lowest remaining seed in the Southern California section. However, the Warriors are 14-10 on the road and are 6-3 on the road since the start of April.
Mad Max On the Road
Max Pappas was outstanding in relief for the Warriors in the Game 3 finale vs Moorpark. After coming into the game with two runners on base in the bottom of the fourth inning and facing a 5-1 deficit, Pappas struck the next batter out to escape the inning and threw 5 more scoreless frames after that.
Shooting Your Shot
The freshman Trevor McInerney hasn't had many opportunities this year on the field for the Warriors but when they needed him most, he came through in the clutch. McInerney got a two out pinch-hit opportunity in the 8th inning and came through with a base hit to bring in the go-ahead run for the Warriors in Game 3 vs Moorpark
Kenneth "Mr. May" Haus
After serving as a reliever for the majority of the 2017 Warriors, Kenneth Haus truly had his breakout moment in the postseason in the Southern California Sectionals vs Orange Coast College. He came in relief and threw 6.1 scoreless innings to help the Warriors advance to the state final four. He also tossed a quality start against Santa Rosa in the final game for the Warriors at the State Championships. In the 2018 season, Haus has continued how he finished the previous season and has served as the staff ace. Haus was excellent in the first game of the 2018 postseason against Moorpark, throwing eight scoreless frames and striking out seven batters, allowing four hits and four walks. In his post-season career, Haus has thrown 22 innings for a 1.23 ERA, with 17 strikeouts, 12 hits, and 11 walks.
On The Mend
The Warriors had to shift their infield and lineup around vs Moorpark due to an injury to Spencer Palmer. Palmer was injured in the final game of the season against Compton after taking a pitch off his foot. Palmer is considered day-to-day but has been practicing.
Keys to the Game: Score More Runs than the Other Guys
The Warriors high-powered offense has certainly been the x-factor for them this season. The Warriors are 28th in the state with a .295 batting average and eighth in the state with 465 hits. The Warriors are twelfth in the state in doubles (90) and tied for sixth in the state in home runs (35). The Warriors are eighth in the state in Runs Driven In (294) and eleventh in the state in runs scored (322). The top seven batters for the Warriors have batting averages better than .280. Spencer Palmer is sixth in the state with a .426 batting average on 63 hits, 43 runs scored, 36 RBIs, and 8 home runs. Cody Wissler is second on the team with a .366 batting average on 63 hits, 28 runs scored, 37 RBIs, and two home runs. Joseph Borges is third on the team with a .321 batting average on 42 hits, 28 runs scored, and 29 RBIs. Diego Alarcon is fourth on the team with a .309 batting average on 58 hits, 42 run scored, and 29 RBIs. Jose Ruiz Jr. is fifth on the team with a .297 batting average on 49 hits, 45 runs scored, 36 RBIs, and four home runs. Matthew Beserra is sixth on the team with a .291 batting average on 48 hits, 37 runs scored, 40 RBIs, and 5 home runs. Jordan Folgers is seventh on the team with a .283 batting average on 52 hits, 41 runs scored, 28 RBIs, and seven home runs.
On The Mound for the Warriors
RHP Kenneth Haus is the ace for the Warriors. Haus is tied for eighth in the state with 9 wins. Haus is 9-1 with a 2.37 ERA in 95 innings pitched with 91 strikeouts, and allowing 44 walks. Haus was named to the All-SCC 1st Team.
RHP Spencer Long is the starting shortstop on days he does not pitch. Long is 4-5 with a 3.10 ERA in 52.1 innings pitched with 46 strikeouts and 19 walks allowed. Long was named to the All-SCC 1st Team.
RHP Daniel Alvarez is 6-3 with a 4.37 ERA in 80.1 innings pitched. Alvarez has struck out 60 batters and allowed 22 free passes on the year.
RHP Tommy Stropky has been excellent relief and has a 0.79 ERA in 22.2 innings pitched and 17 appearances. He has struck out 15 batters and allowed just five walks. LHP Trevor Talpas has been excellent in his last four outings for the Warriors. In that time, Talpas has tossed 9.0 innings allowing just one earned run, striking out 15 batters, allowed six walks, and allowed five hits.
A BIT ABOUT THE CERRITOS FALCONS
The Cerritos Falcons are the Number One seed in the CCCAA Southern California playoff rankings. The Falcons went 29-11 in the regular season and 14-8 in conference. The Falcons finished one game ahead of the Warriors in conference, and also held the head-to-head tie by virtue of winning a three-game series in March. Head Coach Ken Gaylord was named the SCC Coach of the Year. Shortstop Ramon Bramasco was named to the Most Valuable Player of the SCC and Gilbert Romero was named the SCC Pitcher of the Year.
How They Got Here
The Falcons swept LA Pierce in their Southern California Regional opener. The Falcons had to rally in Game One to defeat the Brahmas, 7-6 in eleven innings. After being down 6-2 heading into the eighth innings, the Falcons scored two runs in the eighth and ninth inning to tie the game before winning the game in the eleventh inning. In Game Two, it was not as close an affair as the Falcons won 9-4 for their first playoff series win since 2011.
-The Falcons offense has seven batters batting better than .280 for the season. 3B Jorge Gonzalez leads the team with a .337 batting average on 58 hits, 36 runs scored, and 21 RBIs. SS Ramon Bramasco is second with a .335 batting average on 56 hits, 38 runs scored, and 32 RBIs. 2B Jesus Mercado is third with a .333 batting average on 56 hits, 33 runs scored, and 33 RBIs, and 4 HRs. C Andre Alvarez is fourth with a .317 batting average on 51 hits, 24 runs scored, and 29 RBIs. 1b Michael Gonzalez is fifth with a .310 batting average on 49 hits, 23 runs scored, and 22 RBIs. RF Rollie Nichols is sixth with a .310 batting average on 52 hits, 30 runs scored, and 28 RBIs. LF Gabriel Gonzalez is seventh with a .288 batting average on 38 hits, 31 runs, and 19 RBIs.
-The Cerritos College pitching has been excellent with the fourth lowest Earned Run Average in the state 2.73 Team ERA. They are tenth in the state in strikeouts with 334 strikeouts and sixth in the state in 116 walks issued. The Falcons are led by the SCC Pitcher of the Year, Gilbert Romero. Romero is 8-0 for the season with a 1.56 ERA, 75 strikeouts, and 22 walks issued. Micah Hee is 4-2 for the season with a 2.68 ERA, 50 strikeouts, and 15 walks issued. Valentin Flores-Gomez is 5-1 for the season with a 3.68 ERA, 32 strikeouts, and 11 walks issued. Vincent Fuentes is 4-2 for the season with a 3.00 ERA, 44 strikeouts, and 20 walks issued. The Falcons have two main relievers in Edgar Velasquez (4-2, 1.14 ERA, 7 saves) and Carlos Valle (2-1, 1.39 ERA, 6 saves).