By Corey Kwok
(El Monte) – Angel Acosta made it look effortless while throwing a no hitter for Gabrielino in a 7-1 win over El Monte. He went the distance and used 127 pitches to beat the host Lions in Mission Valley League play Friday afternoon.
The sophomore ace became the first pitcher in school history to record a complete game no hitter while also passing two single season records.
Acosta notched 17 strikeouts, the most by any GHS Eagles’ pitcher in a single game, and the 17 jetted his total strikeouts for the year to 100, which bested the team’s prior mark of 98 previously set by current East LA College hurler Calvin Chambers last year. Acosta went 2 for 4 at bat and scored once.
Gabrielino went to work right from the get go by scoring four times in the first inning. Keith Clapp belted a two run blast over left center and onto the football field while the other two scored via a two base infield error and a balk.
Vince Albelo (2-4) doubled along the third base line to the wall and moved to third via a comebacker out before scoring on a towering double by Andrew Valdez to make it 5-0 Eagles after three.
El Monte rallied in the fourth on back to back infield errors and a deep Gus Hernandez fly ball to center that set up the lone Lions’ run. Danny Farfan scored from third on a delayed double steal attempt before the last out was ran down and tagged past first base.
The Eagles gained some insurance afterward as Brendan Campbell’s one out RBI sacrifice line-out to left picked up Albelo in the fifth.
John Moreno (2-3, 2 stolen bases) singled to left, stole two bases, and scored on an RBI suicide squeeze bunt from Andrew Mendoza. Leadoff hitter Matt Lok then took 12 pitches that included six extra foul balls before winning the battle on the lucky 13th pitch by ripping a base hit.
Acosta, who retired 9 of the first 10, issued that lone, unearned run in the fourth and walked two in the inning. He also walled two in the fifth, and then regrouped to calmly sit down 7 of the last 8 to seal the win.
Miguel Ortiz collected the loss going five and two-thirds innings and allowing eight hits and seven runs (four earned). He recorded a strikeout in the fifth that ended the Eagles’ streak of strikeout-free innings at 13. Manuel Santa Cruz finished the final four outs.
G 4 0 1 0 1 1 0 – 7 10 2
EM 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 – 1 0 3
G: A.Acosta — Clapp
EM: Ortiz, Santa Cruz (6th) — Hernandez
HR: Clapp (G) 2 RBI @ top 1st
3B: –
2B: Albelo (G) solo @ top 3rd; Valdez 1 RBI @ top 3rd
G RBI: Clapp 2, Mendoza/Valdez/Campbell 1
EM RBI: –
G K’s: A.Acosta 17
EM K’s: Ortiz/Santa Cruz 1
W: A.Acosta (6-4)
L: Ortiz (n/a)
Gabrielino 10-9, 6-3
El Monte 7-11, 4-5
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