Sherman Oaks Notre Dame wins Division III title game at Dodger Stadium

Less than 24 hours earlier, Trevor Gee didn’t even know whether he’d be playing in the Southern Section-Toyota Division III baseball championship game Thursday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

The Loyola Marymount-bound senior from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame suffered a concussion while stealing a base in the quarterfinals last Friday and wasn’t cleared to play until Wednesday night.

“My doctor said he wouldn’t recommend I play unless it was the Super Bowl,” Gee said. “But I told him it was my Super Bowl.”

In the most important game of his life, Gee had a run-scoring single in the fifth inning that should have only tied the score, but right fielder Cameron Deen overran the ball, allowing Kelly Dugan to bring home the decisive run from first base in a 4-2 victory over West Covina South Hills.

It is the first section title for second-seeded Notre Dame (27-4).

“I couldn’t believe what happened, but it worked out for us,” Gee said. “I’m just ecstatic right now. We’ve worked really hard for four, tough years and to win here at Dodger Stadium is incredible.”

Still, the hard-fought victory didn’t come without some controversy. After leading off the seventh with a single for South Hills (23-6), Danny Roddy was called out after the umpire ruled he left third base too early while tagging up on Dimitri Delafuente’s popout to center field. The double play effectively ended the Huskies’ comeback bid.

“It’s too bad there was some intervention on the part of the umpires at the end,” South Hills Coach Kevin Smith said. “I didn’t understand some of the calls and I really want to vent about it, but I don’t want to sound like sour grapes.”

Notre Dame scored its final run in the sixth inning after an umpire’s call was reversed. Ranny Lowe was originally called out when it was ruled he failed to tag second base while retreating to first on a teammate’s popout. Notre Dame Coach Tom Dill disputed the call, and it was reversed after the umpires discussed the play.

Had Lowe been called out, the inning would have ended. Instead, he scored two at-bats later on a drive up the middle by Dugan.

“It was very obvious [Lowe] tagged second,” Dill said. “I knew the other umpire saw it, so I knew if they talked it over it would get reversed.”

Things didn’t get off to a great start for Notre Dame. Starter Nik Rodarte (11-1) looked nervous in the first inning, loading the bases before walking Thadd McAlpin to force in the first run. The Huskies scored again in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Roddy.

But the Huskies’ comeback bid in the sixth came to an abrupt halt thanks to Notre Dame second baseman Casey Ryan. The junior caught pinch-runner Miles Bevel in a rundown, then two at-bats later, made a spectacular throw to first from his knees for the final out of the inning. Ryan also had two hits and a run scored.

“Every game we had different guys make big plays, and you saw that today with Trevor, Ryan and Kelly,” Dill said. “That’s been our story all year.

“I’m very proud for all my guys and it feels great to know we’ve made it.”