Eagles win Division 7 baseball crown, 3-2

Lancaster holds on to defeat Arroyo Valley for first CIF-SS championship title

LONG BEACH — The Lancaster baseball team waited until the fly ball hit senior left fielder Austin Whitaker’s glove.

The final out, with the tying run on second base, ignited a raucous celebration by the Eagles for winning their first CIF-Southern Section championship, as players and coaches poured out of the dugout and onto the field.

Lancaster defeated Arroyo Valley 3-2 in the CIF-Southern Section Division 7 championship game on Friday morning at Blair Field at Long Beach State.

“This feels amazing. This is what you dream about as a kid, coming out in the big games and getting the job done,” Lancaster junior starting pitcher Logan Fekety said. “This is surreal. I can’t believe this just happened.”

It was the first championship game appearance for the Eagles (18-9), who advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2009.

“It feels great. We worked for it all season,” Lancaster senior shortstop Vinny Gonzalez said. “This is our goal since the start. It feels good.”

The Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 and then a 3-0 lead, but withstood a late rally as the Hawks (14-9) scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning.

“Crazy,” Lancaster senior Isaiah Pruitt said. “We worked hard for this.

“We came prepared. We’re used to competition like this, so this was just another game. But winning it feels even better. It was nail biting. Got a little nervous in the outfield there, but I knew we would

pull through.”

Fekety gave up two singles in the top of the first, but escaped unscathed.

Fekety gave up one run on seven hits and four walks in five innings, striking out one.

“Just pound the strike zone early,” Fekety said. “That’s what we preach all year. That’s how we get ahead in games. Pitching to contact. Big outs on the field. A couple of double plays. That just keeps the lead.”

Gonzalez led off the bottom of the first

with a walk.

“As a leadoff, I just know that I’ve got to get on,” Gonzalez said. “Once I get on, I know it’s easier to get the lead and score for our team. I know I’ve got to get on.

“We just like to get our pitcher some cushion to work with. We know that we’re good enough defensively, so we just have to score.”

Gonzalez advanced to second on a passed ball, senior Brian Richards followed with an infield single and stole second. Richards had two of the Eagles’

four hits.

With one out and runners on second and third, sophomore second baseman Peter Hebert hit a grounder to short.

The Arroyo Valley shortstop made an errant throw home, allowing both Gonzalez and Richards to score, with a vast amount of foul territory behind home plate.

The Hawks ended the Eagles’ rally with a double play.

“That was one of the things we talked about coming up here,” Lancaster coach David Fischenich said. “Just because it’s so much different of an atmosphere. We wanted everyone to be calm and understand that this was just another game. I think preaching that throughout the week. Them understanding it was just another game, go out and play your game. We were ready to go from pitch one.”

Lancaster loaded the bases with two outs in both the second and third innings, but failed to score both times.

The Eagles loaded the bases again in the fourth, with no outs, but were able to score.

Whitaker led off the inning with a single, Gonzalez followed with a walk and Richard singled.

“We’ve been practicing for this since August, so we’re ready,” Gonzalez said. “We were happy.”

Pruitt hit a fly ball to left field, deep enough to allow

Whitaker to tag and score from third. Two fly ball outs to center field ended the threat.

Arroyo Valley sophomore reliever Diego Marquez retired eight of the final nine batters, including the side in order in the fifth.

The Hawks had a batter reach base in every inning and out hit the Eagles 11-4, but committed the one costly error, while Lancaster played an error-free game.

The Lancaster defense turned two double plays in the game, one unassisted by junior first baseman Brayden Fischenich in the second and a 6-4-3 putout in the fifth.

Arroyo Valley loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, but came up empty.

The Hawks got back-toback singles to lead off the sixth, prompting coach Fischenich to bring in Richards in relief.

“I was in the dugout. I was feeling lightheaded, a little nervous. Started breathing heavy,” Fekety said. “I was just thinking ‘Brian, please get three outs. I know you can do it.’ It was a little scary.

“He’s been a big part of our pitching staff. Our philosophy has been, no matter what, keep pounding the strike zone, attacking them. I’ll be smiling for a week straight.”

After Richards retired the first batter, Arroyo Valley junior Tevin Bookman singled to left, with junior Antonio Rodriguez-Zaragoza getting waved home from second.

Whitaker threw him out at home in a throw to Lancaster senior catcher Bryce Parks.

Arroyo Valley junior Jacob Aguirre scored from third on a wild pitch and Bookman scored on a single by senior Ace Grundy, cutting the Eagles’ lead to 3-2.

“Surreal right now,” coach David Fischenich said. “You know, as a coach, you think about it and you think about it, but it gets here and it’s here and you accomplish it, I don’t know if it sets in yet. Maybe in a day or two I’ll figure it out, but it feels good. It’s a relief.

“We knew coming in they were going to swing the bats.

They’re a good offensive team. We knew they were going to play 21 outs and swing the bats for 21 outs. But we kind of had a plan, how to pitch each guy. Those guys on the mound, Logan and Brian, did what we asked. It feels good that they can get on the mound and shut a team down.”

The first two Arroyo Valley batters reached base to lead off the top of the seventh.

“Very relieving,” Richards said. “Just keeping my composure knowing that I’m better than whoever is at that plate. It’s amazing. The most relieving thing probably ever. My heart was racing.”

Richards struck out the next batter, caught a pop fly by the following batter and the final batter flied out to left field.

“As soon as it was hit, I already knew it was going to be an out,” Lancaster senior Isaiah Pruitt said. “I can’t explain it. It was just an amazing feeling.”

The temperature during the game was in the mid 60s.

The Eagles finished fourth in the Golden League and the

Hawks finished third in the San Andreas League.

Neither team was ranked in the last Division 7 coaches poll.

Lancaster beat No. 8 seed Western Christian 13-3 in the semifinals on Tuesday, No. 3 seed Tarbut V’Torah 12-3 in the quarterfinals and No. 7 seed Gabrielino 5-4 in the second round.

Arroyo Valley beat No. 1 seed Hesperia Christian 3-0 in the semifinals on Tuesday.

The Eagles made the drive to Long Beach Thursday afternoon.

“That was key,” David Fischenich said. “We made sure everyone got into a hotel and got a good night sleep and got something to eat. We wanted to show up ready to go.”