El Segundo’s Title Quest Continues

El Segundo High’s quest for a second consecutive Southern Section 2-A Division baseball title continues at 3:15 p.m. today, as the Eagles meet Valley Christian of Cerritos in the quarterfinals at Recreation Park.

El Segundo Coach John Stevenson said he won’t announce a starting pitcher until shortly before game time. The top-seeded Eagles (25-3) have three to choose from: right-handers Rob Croxall (9-1) and Tate Seefried (7-1), and left-hander Jason Wayt (7-1), who pitched two innings of one-hit relief Tuesday for the victory in a 9-5 win over Santa Clara of Oxnard.

“We have three guys who are really good,” Stevenson said. “All are good enough to win.”

Valley Christian (19-3), third-place finisher from the Olympic League, features a balanced lineup headed by catcher Royal Lord III and pitchers Robert Verhoef and Chris McGahey.

Lord, whose father, Royal Lord Jr., was a catcher at Hawthorne, is hitting .450 with three home runs and 40 runs batted in. He has four hits in two playoff games, including a game-winning double Tuesday in the Crusaders’ 4-1 victory over Temecula Valley.

Lord is also a strong defensive player, having thrown out 92% of the runners attempting to steal. “Most people won’t try to run on him,” Valley Christian Coach Scott Sandie said.

Sandie said his starting pitcher will be either Verhoef or McGahey. Verhoef (8-2), a left-hander who threw a one-hitter Tuesday, has only three innings left this week under the 10-inning pitching rule. McGahey (6-0), a 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander, pitched in the Crusaders’ 15-3 first-round win over La Canada.

Other key players for Valley Christian include center fielder Chris Miller (.470, three home runs) and first baseman Brent Van Kampen (.400, four home runs). Miller, the team’s hardest thrower, could see action as a reliever.

El Segundo’s potent lineup is headed by three players batting over .400: pitcher-first baseman Seefried (13 home runs, 45 RBIs), catcher Garret Quaintance (six home runs, 37 RBIs) and shortstop Mark Lewis (five home runs, 35 RBIs).

In another 2-A Division quarterfinal, St. Bernard (19-6) will start junior right-hander Andy Diver (11-1) against Yucaipa (24-4-3). Diver went four innings Tuesday in a 16-8 victory over Agoura. Yucaipa’s Ty Hill, a 6-6 left-hander, went the distance Tuesday in an 8-5 victory over third-seeded Gladstone and has only three innings left this week.

St. Bernard, led by third baseman Jeff Richardson and shortstop Grant Hohman, has scored 27 runs in two playoff games and has scored in 13 consecutive innings.