Millikan Defeats Simi Valley for El Segundo Title

For the baseball aficionados who wonder why Baseball America magazine had both Simi Valley and Millikan highs ranked among the nation’s top teams this season, evidence was on display Saturday night.

Pitching and clutch defense were in order under the lights, and Millikan held on for a 3-0 victory in the championship game of the El Segundo tournament at Recreation Park in El Segundo.

Simi Valley pitcher Trevor Leppard (1-1) carried a one-hitter into the sixth, when Millikan--the two-time defending Southern Section 5-A Division champion--broke through for two runs.

Nathan Koepke started the inning with a ground single up the middle, setting the stage for a likely sacrifice bunt. Millikan (5-0) didn’t comply, and might have won the game because of it.

With the Simi Valley defense shifted in anticipation of the bunt, Jason Luciene grounded a single through a huge hole up the middle to put runners on first and second.

Santos Cortez followed with a high chopper over third for a double, driving home Koepke.

With one out and the bases loaded, Simi Valley made the second run easy. Chris DeMetropolis sent a medium-deep fly ball to left that outfielder Denver Smith caught with ease. Smith thought it was the third out and started trotting off the field. Luciene tagged up and scored with ease from third for a 2-0 lead.

It was all relief pitcher Eric Ireland needed--barely. Ireland, a sophomore right-hander, battled through a tough spot in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win.

With Millikan holding a 3-0 lead, Smith was hit by a pitch and Ryan Briggs walked, bringing up the top of the order. Ireland retired the next three batters--including the last two on strikeouts--for the win.

Leppard allowed three runs on five hits over 6 1/3 innings, struck out four and walked five.

Simi Valley (4-1), ranked second in the nation by Baseball America, stranded runners aplenty in the early going, when a timely hit might have erased the late-inning pain.