Spears Covers All Angles With His Curve : Crespi Left-Hander Pitches Complete Game in 5-3 Triumph Over Mater Dei

Crespi High’s Chris Spears showed Mater Dei something it doesn’t see every day--a consistent curveball--and as a result, Mater Dei won’t get a look at another pitch this season.

Spears, a left-hander, threw a seven-hitter and pitched a complete game to lead Crespi to a 5-3 victory over Mater Dei on Tuesday in the second round of the Southern Section 4-A baseball playoffs at Mater Dei.

Crespi (21-5-1), the Del Rey League champion, will play El Dorado in the quarterfinals on a date to be announced. The game was scheduled for Friday, which coincides with Crespi’s graduation ceremonies.

Crespi Coach Scott Muckey said that he will come back with Spears if the game is on Saturday.

“A curve like his is something you just don’t see often on the high school level,” Mater Dei Coach Bob Ickes said. “He could and did throw it all the time. We knew he was going to pitch but it’s just to get your hitters prepared.

“The way it went today, he could have probably told us it when it was coming and we couldn’t have done much better.”

Mater Dei (17-7-1), from the Angelus League, was the only third-place team to advance to the second round in the 4-A.

Spears (10-2), who was voted the player of the year in the Del Ray League this season, pitched a complete-game, four-hitter Friday as Crespi defeated Crescenta Valley, 5-2, in the opening round. Pitching on three-days’ rest, he had four strikeouts and four walks Tuesday.

“He’s a thoroughbred out there for us,” Muckey said of Spears. “He’s been doing it all season for us. He’s the guy we want out there.”

Mater Dei did get to Spears in the fifth for three runs to take a 3-2 lead after Crespi had scored two runs in the third.

Spears hit Mater Dei’s Dan Melvin and walked Mike Balsamo to open the inning. Larry Sutton bunted the runners over, but Spears got Jim Zaccari to hit a fly ball to shallow right field that second baseman Dave Cameron caught for the second out.

Spears then threw one of his few bad breaking pitches and Kevin O’Connor doubled off the fence in left to score Melvin and Balsamo. Muckey then ordered an intentional walk to No. 4 hitter Eric Weight, but Joe Ciccarella followed with a single to score O’Connor and give Mater Dei a 3-2 lead.

But Crespi retaliated with a three-run sixth.

Paul Fell walked and Mater Dei starter Tony Pena was replaced by Greg Shockey. Pat Murphy bunted for a single and Kevin Thomas sacrificed the runners to second and third.

Greg Barton hit a sacrifice fly to score Fell with the tying run. Chris Greenamyer then singled home Pat Murphy for a 4-3 lead and Cameron singled home Kenny Franco for the final run. Shockey (2-1) took the loss.

Mater Dei had another chance in the sixth but this time Spears got O’Connor.

With one out, Melvin reached base on an error by second baseman Cameron and Balsamo doubled off the fence in center. Spears struck out Sutton and Zacarri on curves, but Zaccari reached base when the ball bounced past catcher Joe Testa, loading the bases and bringing O’Connor to the plate.

Spears threw two curves for called strikes before getting O’Connor to ground to first for the final out.