SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS : Mater Dei Makes Pitch for Title With Youth

Coach Bob Ickes thought the strength of Mater Dei High School’s baseball team would be the play of its infielders, and that the Monarchs’ pitching staff would be the big question mark heading into the 1990 season.

But Mater Dei has averaged two errors a game, while its young and inexperienced pitching staff has emerged as one of the county’s best going into today’s second-round Southern Section 5-A playoff game against Lakewood.

“We’ve always been strong defensively, but our infield play has been very inconsistent this year,” Ickes said.

Mater Dei (19-8) has been without third baseman Ryan Andersen (back problems) for the second half of the season. Andersen has signed with Arizona State.

Shortstop Lionel Hastings, who has excellent range, has been the Monarchs’ top infielder. He’s batting .457 with 27 runs batted in and has signed with USC.

“When Lionel comes to play, there’s nobody better,” Ickes said. “He’s one of the premier players in the county and was just selected to compete in the Olympic Festival.”

Ickes has three players--Andersen, Hastings and outfielder Jim Betzsold (Cal State Fullerton)--who have signed with Division I college programs. Pitcher Sean Sutton has signed with Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Mater Dei’s Jason Dietrich (6-1) will face one of the Southern Section’s best programs in Lakewood, which has advanced to at least the quarterfinals in three of the past four years.

Sophomore left-hander David Reeser (9-1) will start for Lakewood. Reeser was a third-team All-Southern Section selection as a freshman. Designated hitter Pete Block is the Lancers’ top hitter with a .306 average, two home runs and 19 RBIs.

“They’re very similar to us,” Ickes said. “They get good pitching and have good hitting throughout their lineup. I think their four losses can be attributed to defensive lapses.”

There is one difference between the schools. While Lakewood (22-4) has enjoyed some recent success in the playoffs, Mater Dei (19-8) advanced past the quarterfinals only once in the 1980s, winning the 5-A title in 1980.

In other 5-A division games:

Esperanza (20-6) at Marina (13-12-1)--First baseman Dan Redington, batting .500 with 38 hits, showed his versatility in the Aztecs’ 6-4 victory over Beverly Hills in the first round, earning his fifth save of the season by pitching 1 2/3 hitless innings. Marina upset fourth-seeded Hacienda Heights Wilson, 4-2, with pitchers Sean Patterson and Sean Connors giving the Vikings their first playoff victory since 1976.

Ocean View (20-7) at West Covina (19-7)--Ocean View left-hander Jim Gwaltney pitched a no-hitter in the first round against Los Alamitos and ace Duane Page (10-1) takes his turn today. The Seahawks were perfect defensively against Los Alamitos with shortstop Daniel Hernandez handling six chances. Outfielder Charles Poe has 10 home runs for West Covina and has set school career records for homers (41), stolen bases (117) and runs scored (218).

Katella (21-5) at Alemany (14-13)--Katella makes its second trip to the San Fernando Valley after beating Royal, 7-2, Friday. Dennis Briggs and Eric Boyd hit home runs and pitcher Chris Drummond (7-1) earned a save by allowing only one hit in the final two innings. Drummond will start today. Alemany starts two freshmen and a sophomore, including freshman Greg Bushey, who hit a three-run triple to spark an 11-7 upset of second-seeded Long Beach Millikan.

In the 4-A division:

Buena (20-5-2) at Canyon (13-2-1)--Sam Arroyo (8-0) or two-year all-league quarterback Jason Isaacs (2-1) will start for Buena. Outfielder Ryan Denger leads the team with a .333 batting average, two homers and 15 RBIs. Canyon leadoff hitter Bobby Thompson had eight stitches removed Friday after a car accident and then had two hits, stole a base and scored the winning run in a 3-2 victory over Mission Viejo.

Paramount (15-4) at Magnolia (13-10)--Pitcher Max Olguin will be seeking his 11th consecutive victory. Center fielder Rolando Avila leads a singles-hitting team with his .386 average. Magnolia designated hitter Grantt Rowan’s three-run homer broke a 5-5 tie and gave Magnolia a 9-5 victory over Sunny Hills. Chad Phillips (7-1) will start for Magnolia.

Brea-Olinda (17-8-1) at Covina (19-7)--Outfielder Brian Travaglia and catcher Chris Briones are Brea’s top players. Travaglia is batting .369 with 16 runs scored and Briones is batting .352 with 18 runs scored. Travaglia had a game-winning single in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 2-1 victory over Ramona. Junior first baseman Mike Mulree is batting .426 with five homers and 32 RBIs for Covina.

Troy (15-9) at El Toro (21-6)--Troy hit four home runs, including a three-run shot by junior catcher Steve Freidrich, in a 9-6 victory over Gahr. Third baseman Matt Carter hit two homers, giving him six for the season. Second-seeded El Toro had only one hit through six innings but scored in the seventh to hold off LaSalle, 1-0.

In the 3-A division:

Central (20-5-2) at Tustin (23-3)--Outfielder Roger Ray hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to give Central a 4-2 victory over Corona. Ray leads the team with 25 RBIs. Tustin left-hander Dan Baker (13-1) pitched a one-hitter and struck out 10 in Tustin’s 7-0 victory over Etiwanda. First baseman Mark Green leads the Tillers with a .467 batting average.

El Monte (13-9) at La Quinta (20-8)--Shawn Kennedy is a one-man show for El Monte, compiling a 7-3 pitching record with 99 strikeouts and batting .408. Catcher Ruben Mata leads the team with a .435 batting average. La Quinta hit three home runs and three pitchers combined to beat Glenn, 3-0, in the first round.

Kennedy (15-13) at Hesperia (17-8)--Kennedy won a four-hour, 12-inning marathon against Laguna Hills, 3-2, despite striking out 19 times. Catcher Scott Wood had a double and a single after getting seven hits in Kennedy’s drive to the 3-A title last year.

Santiago (18-7) at Orange (16-10)--Santiago had a season-high 17 hits in a 13-3 victory over Duarte, including three each by Marco Perez, Enele Scanlan and Eric Paniagua. Perez has 17 stolen bases. Orange’s Ruben Hernandez pitched a one-hitter and hit two homers in a 6-1 victory over Newport Harbor.

In the 2-A division:

Orange Lutheran (19-6) at San Marino (19-2-1)--Pitcher Kent Dowding (10-2) struggled in a 6-5 victory over Banning but will return today. Dowding struck out 11 and hit a two-run double to help his cause. He has 115 strikeouts for the season. San Marino was the runner-up in the division last year and is led by Michael Wan and Mark Ukropina.

In the Small Schools division:

Southern California Christian (12-4) at Apple Valley Christian (20-0-1)--Four-year starting pitcher Craig Van Hulzen established a Southern Section career strikeout record with 575 in his last regular-season game. Bob Goodyear of L.A. Lutheran held the previous record of 566 for 17 years.