By Tim Peterson
(Azusa) – Chavez scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning and then held off Azusa in the bottom half to beat the Aztecs 8-6 in nine innings to win the CIF State Regional Division V championship Saturday at Azusa Pacific.
Chavez led 6-4 after five innings but Azusa scored a run in the sixth and another in the seventh to force extra innings. After a scoreless eighth Chavez broke through with two in the top of the night. Consecutive hits by Emmanuel Segura, Marcos DiLira and Miggy Ramirez got one run home and an infield hit by Jose Agredano scored another.
Agredano then retired Azusa in order in the bottom of the ninth and three hours and 40 minutes after the first pitch was thrown Chavez emerged with the title.
Chavez took the lead early with two in the first and two in the second. Jacob Sixtos singled and scored in the first and Benji Perez doubled in a run and then scored himself on a sacrifice fly by Segura.
The Titans got two in the second inning when Agredano and Daniel Carrillo both singled and came around to score on a double by Perez.
A walk, two hit batters and a balk led to an Azusa run in the first inning but the Aztecs found themselves down 4-1 after two innings.
Torres singled and Jacob Elliot and Matt Huizar doubled to produce two runs in the third inning. The Aztecs tied it with a run in the fourth when Torres, who scored three runs in the game, walked and eventually helped pull off a double steal to make it 4-4.
Down 6-5 in the bottom of the seventh Edward Romero walked, work his way to third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Pena. It was a close play at the plate and the Chavez manager argued but the homeplate umpire ruled that the catcher missed the tag and the score was tied at six.
It stayed that way until Chavez took the lead for good in the ninth inning.
Chavez used five pitchers in the contest while Chavez used four.
The Aztecs, despite the loss, had a memorable year. They finished 20-6 on the season and won the CIF Division 8 championship.
Congratulations to Azusa and SEM on great playoff runs and seasons . Someone mentioned that Azusa’s success was fueled this year by the merger with Gladstone . I thought this would happen in football, but it didn’t at all. Just wondering why the discrepancy in program development.,….?