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Flintridge Prep baseball holds back Providence in second round

Hamilton Evans and the Flintridge Prep baseball team defeated Providence, 4-2, on Tuesday afternoon.

Hamilton Evans and the Flintridge Prep baseball team defeated Providence, 4-2, on Tuesday afternoon.

(Roger Wilson/Staff Photographer)
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BURBANK — Defending CIF Southern Section Division VI baseball champion Flintridge Prep was given its first challenge of this year’s postseason on Tuesday evening in a meeting with Providence High, but prevailed to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.

The Rebels received a fine pitching performance from Robbie Leslie and solid defense behind him to secure a 4-2 victory in the second round match-up at Ralph Foy Park in Burbank.

Leslie went the distance, giving up two earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out four Pioneers. The senior was economical in throwing just 58 pitches through five innings before giving up his first hit and pitching into trouble in the sixth.

“Our pitcher was great,” Rebels Coach Guillermo Gonzalez said. “He threw strikes and hit his spots. He hadn’t pitched in a while and kept his pitch count down so maybe we can use him again on Friday.”

The win sets up a rematch of last year’s semifinal game with Salesian, which the Rebels (18-5) took en route to capturing the CIF championship. Flintridge Prep will host the quarterfinal game on Friday at 3:15 at the Glendale Sports Complex, where they are 7-1 over the last four postseasons.

“This is the kind of game that will give them momentum as they go into the later rounds,” said Pioneers Coach Steve Knez, whose team advanced to the second round with a 3-2 walk-off victory on Thursday. “I wish there was still some baseball left in our season because I think we played well in a pressure situation.”

Sage Del Castillo started the game for the Pioneers and did his part in the pitchers’ duel, throwing 108 pitches in six innings, striking out four and walking six.

Del Castillo needed 27 pitches to get out of the top of the first inning, as Flintridge Prep did all its damage with two outs. Cole Pilar got things started with a single and was soon picked up by Andrew Tsangeos’ RBI single for the game’s first run. A Providence error in right field allowed the Rebels to score two more runs for a quick 3-0 advantage that would not be relinquished.

“Obviously that’s not how we wanted the game to start,” Knez said. “It was an uphill battle from there on and it seemed like we were on the ropes all night.”

Pitching and defense prevented the Providence (15-10) offense from mustering a rally until the sixth inning when Nicholas Knezevich broke up Leslie’s no-hitter with a single. Thomas Keller followed suit, eventually setting up Sean Holt’s two-run double, scoring Keller and Elias Ferguson, who pinch-ran for Knezevich. The liner down the left field line cut the deficit to 3-2.

For his part, Del Castillo settled down after the first inning and kept the Pioneers within striking distance.

“Sage pitched well enough to earn the victory,” Knez said. “He pitched in and out of jams all game and battled.”

Flintridge Prep answered with an insurance run in the seventh off reliever Stephen Knezevich. It would prove to not be necessary as the Rebels closed it out in the bottom half, unscathed.

The 4-2 final score is identical to the April 14 nonleague game between the two teams.

After a convincing 28-0 win over Joshua Springs in the first round, Gonzalez was pleased with his team’s mindset and focus on Tuesday.

“We knew they have quality pitching and are a great team,” Gonzalez said. “We knew it’d be a battle from the first pitch to the last pitch.”

The Rebels finished the game with six hits, with Pilar the lone player with a multi-hit game as he finished two for three with two walks and a run.

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