By Corey Kwok
(San Gabriel) – Gabrielino fell behind 1-0 in the second inning before surging for six unanswered runs to beat El Monte 6-1 Tuesday. With the win the Eagles’ clinched their fourth consecutive Mission Valley League championship.
Angel Acosta improved his record to 9-4 by throwing a 94 pitch, six inning three hitter while allowing just one unearned run. The ninth victory set a new single season record for most wins by a Gabrielino pitcher. Acosta also set another school record going 2 for 4 at the plate. He now has 33 hits on the season which bested the mark of 32 set by Nick Hovermale in 2008.
Keith Clapp was also a record breaker as he drove in three runs to give him 25. He surpassed the prior benchmark of 24 set by Kevin Trochez in 2000.
Gabrielino left the bases loaded in the first inning as the Lions’ Danny Farfan battled out of the jam by striking out the side.
El Monte fed off that momentum in the next inning with a two-out rally. Diego Palomino walked to force in Adrian Rodriguez to put the Lions up 1-0. Enrique Saldana singled before Jay Tillett was hit by a pitch and Palomino walked. Rodriguez had reached on a third strike wild pitch. Saldana led the Lions’ offense with two hits.
Acosta then rebounded to retire 12 of the next 16 without allowing a runner past second base. Vinnie Albelo came on in the seventh to shut the door. He easily sat down the first two batters on four pitches before an infield error broke it up. He then induced a grounder to shortstop Johnny Moreno who threw to first baseman Nathaniel Sarkar for the final out.
Gabrielino took command for good with a four hit, three run barrage in their half of the second. Hot hitting Sarkar singled to right center and captured second on a wild pitch before Moreno beat out an infield single. Sarkar scored on a throwing error and Moreno moved to third on Raymond Chang’s bunt. Acosta lined a single to left for a 2-1 Eagle lead. Clapp then picked up Acosta with a ground rule double that hopped over the left field fence, making it 3-1.
In the fourth inning Clapp interrupted back to back Lion base hits by throwing a runner out at second. The Eagles added two in the bottom half as an errant throw on Lok’s bunt single in front of home plate allowed Acosta to score from first. Lok stole and took third on a wild pitch before Clapp squeezed to pick him up.
Manuel Santa Cruz replaced Farfan in the fifth and retired the side in order before the Eagles scored one run on two hits in the sixth. Farfan worked four innings allowing seven hits with seven strikeouts.
The Acosta-Clapp pipeline dialed in the last run in the sixth as Acosta singled, stole second, and scored on Clapp’s RBI single to left center.
EM 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 – 1 3 4
G 0 3 0 2 0 1 x – 6 9 3
EM: Farfan, Santa Cruz (5th) – Gus Hernandez
G: Acosta, Albelo (7th) – Clapp
No HR or 3B
2B: Clapp (G) RBI @ btm 2nd, 2 out
EM RBI (1): Palomino 1; G RBI (4): Clapp 3, Acosta 1
EM K’s (9): Farfan 7, Santa Cruz 2; G K’s (11): Acosta 11
W: Acosta (9-4)
L: Farfan (5-5)
Save: none
El Monte 7-16/4-11; Gabrielino 15-9/11-3
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