MidValleySports.Com

By Corey Kwok

(Arcadia) – Bonita’s Brandon Murfett tossed a one run five hit complete game and received the run support he needed to beat Arcadia 8-1 Wednesday night to capture the Arcadia Invitational championship.

Half of the Bearcats’ twelve hits went for extra bases, highlighted by an RBI triple from Thomas Castro in the third that plated Conor Vislay and a leadoff solo home run in the fifth by Matt Gelalich.

An aptly named Justin Row, after flying out in his first appearance, closed his slate with three consecutive hits and two doubles, the last of which drove in two runs in the seventh.

Arcadia didn’t get past second base and was shutout until the fifth. Drew Klein and John Wong both notched base hits and moved up on a passed ball before Tyler Dominguez grounded out to drive in Klein for what would be the Apaches’ lone run.

They had another opportunity in the sixth, as Haram Park walked and George Papavasiliou got hit by pitch to put runners on first and second with one out, but Murfett ended the threat by fanning the next two on swings.

B 0 0 2 1 1 0 4   –   8  12  0

A 0 0 0 0 1 0 0   –   1   5   2

B: Murfett (W)

A: Erik Trask (L), Jeff Kim (6), Nick Sergi (7), Trevor Gleason (7)

Third Place: West Covina 4, San Dimas 3 (8 innings)

West Covina ended a tenacious five inning pitching duel with a walk off hit by Gabriel Govella to beat San Dimas 4-3 in eight innings to take third place.

Govella’s knock picked up Ben Swartz to give the Bulldogs the victory.

San Dimas scored a deuce in the first and made it 3-0 after three when the flaming bat of Jacob Ehret crushed a solo shot over left onto Santa Anita Blvd. Ehret finished 4 for 4 with two doubles and the homer, also getting two RBIs and the same in runs for the Saints.

The Bulldogs responded with three in a two out rally that saw a walk and four hits in a row to tie it up in the bottom of the third on RBI doubles by George Johnson and Michael Najera that delivered David Garcia and Jimmy Frazier. Johnson then slid home from third on an errant pickoff throw. Najera went 2 for 4 with both hits two-baggers.

SD  2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0   –   3  5  2

WC 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1   –   4  8  0

SD: Brandon Yepiz, Eric Morell (8) (L)

WC: Steven Diosdado (W)

Fifth Place: Glendora 15, Monrovia 5 (6 innings)

Glendora, denied a shot in the Apache Invitational title game by Temple City the day before, went right to work from the get go in a 15-5 drubbing of Monrovia take fifth place. The game was called after six innings due to the mercy rule.

For the second time in the tournament the Tartan offense went yard three times, each of those helping to buoy the score as they were all two run shots. Brennan Salgado (2-4, HR, 2 RBI) blasted one out in the first for the second time and capped a four hit, four run start for Glendora. The Tartans then busted loose for six runs in the fourth to open an 11-0 bulge.

John Alexander (2-4, HR, 2 RBI, walk) and Aaron Miller both chimed in for the other two run jacks. Miller also went 2 for 3 with three runs batted in.

Nick Cooksey fell a home run short of hitting for the cycle, getting a triple, double, and base hit (all were RBI) before settling for an RBI single through the left side in the seventh.

Monrovia, falling behind 11-1 into the fifth, prolonged the game by scoring twice in the fifth and sixth. Nick Bueno picked up Kevin Pestanas with an RBI single through short before Mason Bryant was sent across on Jairo Jiorge sacrifice fly to center for the first pair in the fifth. Reed Miller then scored on a triple by Luis Mercado, who ended the scoring by hitting the diamond off a wild pitch.

G 4 1 0 6 0 4        –   –  15  16  2

M 0 0 0 1 2 2        –   –    5   9   1

G: Scott Burke (W), Trevor Fisher (5), Austin Martinez (6)

M: Kevin Shue (L), Gabe Duran (4), James Tubbs (5)

Seventh Place: Nogales 9, Temple City 8

Nogales and Temple City battled until the end. The game featured three ties and five lead changes before the Nobles went ahead for good at the top of the seventh and held on to win 9-8 for seventh place.

With runners on first and second a single to left field was mishandled and allowed Alex Valdivia to score the eventual winning run. The Rams’ Kyle Starling lined a single into center on his first pitch before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Benji Sanderson and stealing third with one out. But Nogales’ closer, Erick Gonzales, sandwiched two strikeouts around a walk to close the door and pick up the save.

Carlos Martinez singled to center and stole second before getting picked up on Albert Lemus’ RBI single for the Nobles. Temple City then tied it 1-1 after one as Jonah Jarrard, who had doubled down the third base line, slid home on Corey Copping’s single. TC did themselves no favors defensively as five outfield errors eventually paved runs, proving to haunt them in the end.

The Rams took their last lead after scoring three in the fourth and fifth to make it 7-4 as Alec Vigil singled to shallow center and Sanderson hit the first pitch for a ride off the left field fence. A groundout by Christian Li and an RBI hit by Ben Arrue would get the two across in the fourth before Sanderson doubled again to pick up Starling.

Benji Sanderson finished 3 for 3 with three doubles and a sacrifice while Corey Copping bounced 3 of 4 with 4 RBI’s to lead the Rams.

Martinez drove two runs in on 2 for 4 hitting, which was capped by a then-go ahead two out, 2 RBI triple in the left gap during the sixth for Nogales. Fernando Perez may have batted 1 for 4 but two of those were productive groundouts as he plated a  tying run in the fourth before pushing another across in the sixth as the Nobles scored four times.

N   1 1 0 2 0 4 1   –   9  11  1

TC 1 0 3 2 1 1 0   –   8  13  6

N: Nick Estevez, Caleb Rudusky (4)-(W), Erick Gonzales (7)-(SV)

TC: Julian Jarrard, Benji Sanderson (7)-(L)