ANAHEIM – The first league game of one’s career should be memorable.
Mater Dei shortstop Emilio Rosas made sure that his won’t soon be forgotten.
The sophomore knocked in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, as the Monarchs defeated eighth-ranked Servite, 6-3, Tuesday in the Trinity League opener at Servite High.
Rosas struck a grounder through the Friars’ drawn-in infield, scoring Josh Mora to break a 3-3 tie. The Monarchs (8-6, 1-0) added runs on sacrifice flies by Kelley Holgate and Michael Peabody.
“It feels good,” Rosas said of delivering in the clutch. “I was trying not to do too much with it. I just wanted to stay within myself. We’re a scrappy team.”
The first-year starter is known as “Mo” by his teammates. He certainly provided momentum Tuesday.
He started a lineout double play to end a rally by Servite (12-4, 0-1) in the fifth. In the seventh, he prevented a lead-off hit with a diving stop and throw to get Seamus Fallon.
“I thought that was a huge defensive play,” Monarchs coach Burt Call said. “I thought Mo was very good for us down the stretch.”
The Monarchs jumped ahead, 2-0, in the second on a solo homer by Jonathan Schiffer and an RBI single by Holgate. Mater Dei went up, 3-0, in the fifth on a balk by Nick Cornelius.
Cornelius held the Monarchs to three runs (two earned) over 61/3 innings. He left in seventh with the bases loaded, and Mark Woinarowicz (3-1) struck out Josh Stephen and Schiffer to keep the score tied.
Mater Dei’s Michael Thomas (4-1) outdueled his counterpart, fanning five and allowing just five hits in a complete-game victory.
Mater Dei committed two errors in the fifth that helped Servite tie the score, 3-3. Greg Carlos drove in one of the runs for Servite with a double.
Monarchs designated hitter Maxwell Foxcroft had three hits.
Aaron Simpson and Matthew Doan each had two hits for Servite.
