Marina’s String of Upsets Continues When Mater Dei Falls, 4-0

The Marina High School baseball team continues to make up for lost time, not to mention a few lost years.

After going 14 years without a victory in the Southern Section baseball playoffs, the Vikings are on the verge of playing for the 5-A championship. They advanced to the semifinals with a 4-0 victory over Mater Dei Friday at Marina.

It is the first time the Vikings have reached the semifinals since 1976, which was also the last time they won a playoff game.

The Vikings have eliminated fourth-seeded Hacienda Heights Wilson, Esperanza, the Empire League champion, and Mater Dei, the Angelus League champion.

“I think a lot of our guys thought we would be out in the first round,” said Marina first baseman Marc Newfield, who had a solo home run Friday. “But when we beat Wilson, we started believing.”

Marina is the third-place team from the Sunset League, but had only a 12-12-1 record entering the playoffs. The Vikings’ pitching had been inconsistent through most of the season

However, Marina has received strong performances from Sean Patterson and David Schultz through the first three playoff games. Friday, it was Patterson’s turn.

Patterson (6-2) kept the free-swinging Monarchs off-balance by changing speeds and locations.

Mater Dei (20-9) had 11 hits against Lakewood, including two home runs by Lionel Hastings, in its second-round victory Tuesday. The Monarchs had only three hits off Patterson.

“We sat down with Sean before the game and decided that we really didn’t know enough about Mater Dei to change anything,” Marina Coach Paul Renfrow said. “So we told him to go out and keep the ball low and mix things up. If we got burned once with a home run, then we’d just eat that one.”

Patterson struck out just two batters, but the Monarchs hit only seven balls out of the infield and all were outs except Jim Betzold’s double in the fourth inning.

“He’s the type of pitcher that gives us trouble,” Mater Dei Coach Bob Ickes said. “We’re a very aggressive team and he didn’t give us anything that we could hit hard. Bishop Amat and St. Paul beat us with the same type of pitcher.”

Patterson was in trouble only once, when Betzold reached on an error to lead off the second and Cale Carter walked. However, Taylor Ivey missed a sacrifice bunt attempt and Betzold was picked off second by catcher Robin Lindsey.

Marina (15-12-1) didn’t do much better off Sean Sutton (8-5). The Vikings had seven hits, but other than Newfield’s solo home run in the third, none were hit hard.

The Vikings took the lead in the bottom of the first after nearly running themselves out of the inning.

With runners on first and third and no outs, the Vikings tried a double steal, and Travis Boyd being thrown out at the plate. The inning might have been a disaster had Schultz not followed with a single to score Lindsey from second base.

The Vikings added another run in the second on a sacrifice fly by Jeremy Preall. Newfield homered in the third, his sixth of the season, and Marina added an unearned run in the sixth.