Pacifica stumbles with game on the line
GARDEN GROVE - The Pacifica Mariners were agonizingly close to slipping past visiting Arcadia in Friday’s CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal game.
The Mariners had the lead-off batters reach base in the sixth and the seventh, but they couldn’t get the run home.
Arcadia had doubles in the seventh from Erik Trask and George Papavasiilou to score the winning run in a 2-1 victory over Pacifica (24-8).
Arcadia (26-3) will be host to Etiwanda in the semifinals Tuesday.
“If you told me that we would have the lead-off runners on in those last two innings and not being able to move them over, that’s our game right there,” Pacifica coach Mike Caira said. “You have to tip your cap to them (Arcadia).
“That starter (KJ Edson) pitched every single out he was allotted and was really good.”
Edson entered the game with just 4 2/3 innings remaining to pitch for the week. He was placed by Trask who pitched the remaining 2 1/3 innings to get the victory.
Arcadia scored the first run of the game in the second inning. Brendan Campbell walked to start the inning. Trask followed with a single. Both runners were balked into scoring position, setting up Papavasiliou’s sacrifice fly.
The Mariners came back in the bottom of the inning to tie the score when Ryan Dickison scored on Jordan Ellis’ slow ground ball up the third base line.
That’s where the game stayed until the top of the seventh.
In the bottom of the inning, Kyle Davis led off with a double. Ricky Brito pinch-ran for him and moved to third on a wild pitch, but Trask retired the next three batters for the victory.
Davis allowed two runs on four hits for Pacifica. At one point in the game, he retired 15 of 17 that he faced.
“In a game when you pitch 90-100 pitches, one ball is going to get away,” Caira said. “I thought we played good defense … pitching and defense is our key.
“Playing small ball, moving guys over, I thought we could have executed a little bit better, but these guys worked their tails off. I’m proud of this group.”
