Lightning cap historic season
RIVERSIDE – The Sage Hill School baseball team capped a historic season with perhaps its most complete performance of the campaign in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 title game Saturday at the Riverside Sports Complex.
The top-seeded Lightning (28-1), who extended their Orange County-record winning streak to 27 games, trounced No. 2-seeded Crean Lutheran, 9-0, to claim the program’s first section crown.
Junior pitcher Brett Super threw a three-hit shutout to end the season with 41 consecutive scoreless innings, including 23 in the playoffs in which he allowed just four hits. But Super was not his typical overpowering self, as he finished with just three strikeouts, while issuing two walks and hitting a batter.
But three double plays helped Super improve to 13-0, make him a winner in his last 25 decisions, and 29-2 in three varsity seasons. He lowered his earned-run average to 0.51. In 97 innings, this season, he allowed 34 hits, issued 20 walks and struck out 133.
But defense sparkled behind Super, while four players had two hits and seven contributed to the 11-hit attack that padded Sage’s postseason run differential to 30-1 and lifted its postseason batting average to .341.
Sage Hill Coach Dominic Campeau said it may have been his team’s most complete game of the season.
The Lightning recorded an out on the first Crean Lutheran hit in the third inning, as freshman right fielder Eddie Pelc fielded a line single and threw to shortstop Cole Tait. Tait, one of three senior leaders, relayed to freshman third baseman Daniel Fishman, who applied the tag on runner trying to go first-to-third, to end the threat.
Tait made a diving stab of a line drive and doubled off a runner at first in the fourth inning. Sophomore second baseman Matt King doubled off a runner at first after spearing a line drive to end the fifth inning. And a runner called for interference at second facilitated the game-ending six-four-three double play that triggered the celebratory dog pile.
“I was on the bottom of the pile and [senior catcher Toby Bush] was worried about my pitching arm getting hurt, but I told him ‘I don’t care,’” said Super, who had his team’s first hit.
Super’s single followed a walk and a groundout and left runners at the corners for senior first baseman Conner Bock. The Cal-bound Bock, who came in sharing the team RBI lead with Super (24), lined a single to center to drive in leadoff man Pelc.
Bush followed with a two-run single through the right side and the designated visitors had all they would need.
Sage scored one in the fourth, two in the sixth and three in the seventh.
Bock finished two for three with two RBIs and one run, while Pelc, who left his feet to haul in a pair of fly balls in addition to his aforementioned assist, was two for four with three runs and two RBIs.
Junior left fielder Jack Pelc was two for three with two RBIs and one run, while King, who had been the only starter without a hit in the playoffs, was two for three with a double and a run.
Bush was one for three with two RBIs, while Tait, who will play next season at NYU, added to the hit parade.
“Getting those runs early on, we could relax a little, because we know, no matter how good [the Saints (23-8)] are, no one hits Brett,” Campeau said. “So we knew if the defense could just make the routine plays, we’d be all right.”
“My curveball wasn’t there from the start, and my slider started fading at the end,” said Super, who threw 78 pitches. “But I had the lead, so I could just rely on my fastball and my defense.”
Bush, who said he will play club baseball at the University of Colorado next year, was among those noting the storybook nature of the Lightning’s season.
“It’s incredible,” Bush said. “Honestly there’s no better way to end your senior year. For this to be my last game, there is no better feeling. It felt like the perfect way to cap off our season. It’s fantastic.”
Added Bock: “It has been a ride. We have definitely had some tough games. When we started the season, we had a goal of winning CIF, but I don’t think any of us thought we’d have to record we have.”
Super said he half-jokingly told his teammates following their lone loss - the second game of an opening-day doubleheader against Windward on Feb. 27 – that it would be the team’s last of the season.
“I said, ‘OK, that’s our last one,’” Super said. “And then as the season kept going on, I kept believing it even more. To actually end the season this way is really cool.”
With Super, freshman pitcher Ashwin Chona (12-0 with an 0.65 ERA), Eddie Pelc (a team-best 44 hits, .494 batting average, 37 runs and 21 stolen bases, while also driving in 21 runs) leading a host of returners, the subject of a repeat CIF championship were acknowledged by many.
“I’m ready to get back out there,” Eddie Pelc said. “I think we can do it again, easily. We just have to work hard at it.”
Added Campeau: “It’s going to be hard to replace [Bock, Bush and Tait], but the pitching staff is the same next year, and we’re so young, we do have a shot.”
It was only the second CIF boys’ team title for Sage, joining the 2011 boys’ tennis team.
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CIF Division 6
Final
Sage Hill 9, Crean Lutheran 0
SCORE BY INNINGS
Sage Hill 300 102 3 – 9 11 1
Crean Luth. 000 000 0 – 0 3 4
Super and Bush; Tomlinson, McCoy (6), Poirot (7) and Gaynor. W – Super, 13-0. L – Tomlinson, 10-5. 2B – King (SH). Bock (SH), J. Pelc (SH). 3B – E. Pelc (SH).
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Twitter: @BarryFaulkner5
