By Ed Piper
La Jolla's baseball team, having achieved 24 wins in a season that was in doubt back in February, dropped a 6-0 decision to San Dieguito Academy, a team the Vikings had defeated twice before--including once in the playoffs--to end the 2021 season in the third round of the CIF Division 3 playoffs Sat., June 12, at Ronnie Spellman Field.
"I hope you'll be interviewing one of my players after the game," SDA head coach Carlos Fletes told a reporter before the contest.
SDA shortstop Ian Hoslett, who made four errors in La Jolla's playoff win Wed., June 9, redeemed himself a little Saturday. In the top of the first, Hoslett sent Kevin Steel's third pitch to him, a fastball, back out the way it came as it banged off the Muirlands scoreboard in left-centerfield above the word "Ball" (for balls and strikes) near the top of the metal structure.
Though at the time Viking coach Gary Frank said, "That home run won't win the game" to encourage his team, the blast turned out to be a sign of things to come.
The Mustangs added three more runs in the top of the second on two singles, a walk, and an error. They scored one in the third, a final tally in the seventh.
Steel appeared unflappable through his three-inning start, despite giving up four hits. He got pinned with the first five runs.
Lefty Beau Brown went the final four innings, with a deft curveball and sneaky fastball. He kept his stuff low in the zone to minimize danger and maximize effectiveness.
In the third, with one out, the Viking batters put two runners aboard on Brown's single and a walk to Willy Barton. But SDA starter Logan Kechter, who came on in relief in Wednesday's La Jolla win but was unable to close things out, this time induced Connor Hobbs to pop out to second and Luke Roberts to fly to left to shut down the threat.
In the bottom of the fourth, another La Jolla threat fell short. After Jake Klimkiewicz singled to left and DH Kaden Wheat got hit by not one but two pitches (the first one off his helmet, the plate umpiring ruling it hit his bat; the second off his left hip, which Kaden pointed out to the umpire), a double play by the and a groundout answered that attempt.
La Jolla really could not mount another threat. The Vikings went quietly in the fifth. In the sixth, Hobbs, the leadoff hitter, reached on an error and made it as far as second base on a passed ball. Nothing doing the rest of the inning. In the seventh, La Jolla went quietly.
"Sticking around the whole game?" SDA coach Fletes asked the reporter beforehand. "If you make it interesting" was the reply. The reporter left as the end of the La Jolla season wound down.
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