Surging El Dorado Faces Lakewood Today in Baseball Semifinal

Only a month ago, El Dorado High School was struggling with a 4-5 record in the Empire League and facing the possibility of missing the Southern Section baseball playoffs.

A two-game sweep of Cypress was a confidence booster, but the turnaround that has propelled El Dorado into today’s semifinals of the 5-A division can be traced to an 11-inning victory against Katella.

“It’s a game we could have lost several times, but we kept battling,” said catcher Bruce Petillo. “It was a must-win situation and we won, 6-4. More than anything else, that game turned our season around.”

El Dorado (21-8), which finished second in the Empire League, plays top-seeded Lakewood (25-3) at 4 p.m. today at Blair Field in Long Beach with the winner advancing to the division championship at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

El Dorado has won nine consecutive games but has failed to advance to the semifinals of the playoffs in three of the past four years.

Excellent pitching, good defense and timely hitting have been the key ingredients in the winning streak. El Dorado’s staff earned-run average is 1.80 and Petillo rates the team’s three starting pitchers as “the best pitching staff” in the Southern Section.

“Our pitching has kept us in every ballgame, even when we were playing poorly,” he said. “Pitching is the reason we’re in the semis.”

Matt Luke (6-1), who has signed with the University of California, will oppose Lakewood’s Steve Profit (9-0). Both started the season impressively but have been inconsistent in recent weeks.

If Luke gets in trouble, Jay Hassel (4-2) might be used in relief. Pete Janicki (6-1), who has signed with UCLA, is the ace of the Golden Hawks’ staff. But even this impressive staff couldn’t prevent a slow start.

“There were a lot of expectations, and some of the guys started putting too much pressure on themselves,” Petillo said. “When things were going poorly, only two or three guys were contributing.

“Now, everybody is contributing. Our streak has become a team effort, and we’re playing with a lot more confidence.”

Petillo, who is batting .310, has gotten three hits and hit a home run against Arcadia in a 7-2 second-round victory. Petillo felt the sting of the team’s slump, going two for 25 during one stretch.

“My biggest problem is trying to be perfect,” he said. “I’ve relaxed more at the plate, and I’ve tried to set the tone for our defense.”

Petillo has signed with the University of Pacific. He’s one of four players on the team who have signed with Division I colleges with another, Hassel, likely to be drafted and signed by a major league team.

Lakewood’s top player is leadoff batter Ricardo Gutierrez. Gutierrez has 51 hits and has yet to commit an error at third base. Shortstop Chris Gomez had a key hit two years ago in a 5-4 victory over El Dorado in the semifinals.

In the 3-A division:

Kennedy (23-5) vs. Tustin (21-8) at UC Irvine: Kennedy’s Pete Montera (10-2) will oppose Tustin’s Monte Jones (10-2) in a matchup of two of the county’s premier pitchers. Jones has won all three of Tustin’s playoff games.

Kennedy has opened all three of its playoff games with a 2-0 lead, scoring 19 runs. Shortstop Steve Rath had two hits, including a two-run homer, in a 7-2 victory over Laguna Hills in the quarterfinals. Designated hitter Ernie Franco is zero for 10 in the playoffs.

Tustin upset top-seeded Artesia, 3-2, in the second round, and Jones and reliever Danny Baker limited Palmdale to only four hits in a 10-3 romp in the quarterfinals. Sophomore right fielder Shawn Green has been the team’s top hitter in the playoffs.