BASEBALL / DIVISION V : Tucker Helps Eagles Reach Final Again

Behind the solid pitching of freshman John Tucker and 15 hits, Calvary Chapel rolled to a 10-4 victory over Santa Monica St. Monica in the Southern Section Division V baseball semifinals Tuesday at Loyola Marymount.

The Eagles (19-9-1), the Olympic League runners-up, reached the championship game for the second straight year and will face Long Beach St. Anthony Friday at Blair Field in Long Beach.

Calvary Chapel sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning and scored four times on five hits. After a leadoff walk to Rob Dennler and single by Chance King, Joe Jones, who started the game with a .535 average, doubled to score pinch-runner Dallas Kruse. King was thrown out trying to score from first.

Kenny Nash followed with an double that scored Jones. Justin Lentini singled and Josh Stewart walked to load the bases. Joe De La Fuente then drove in two runs with a single.

“We were looking to be aggressive,” Calvary Chapel Coach Joe Walters said. “Our guys worked real hard to get here. We hit the ball really well.”

Tucker (9-6) struggled in the first, giving up a leadoff triple and walking Mike Avila Jr. But Tucker pitched out of the jam, forcing two pop outs and a ground out to the shortstop. He then cruised until the fifth inning.

“Tucker always remains poised,” Walters said. “When he gets in a jam, he always seems to be able to come up with the big play or pitch.”

Tucker needed that poise to make it out of the fifth and sixth innings.

In the fifth, Carlos Casillas lined into a double play with the bases loaded after two Calvary Chapel errors. Trailing 9-1 in the sixth, St. Monica scored three runs before a double play ended the inning.

Nash and De La Fuente each had three hits and two runs batted in and Jones had two hits and three RBIs. “It feels good to get back in the finals,” Walters said.