Mater Dei Enjoys Dream Victory Over Diamond Bar

Catcher Ryan Blackmun left the Mater Dei prom in the early morning hours Friday, determined to get at least a little bit of rest before the Monarchs’ Southern Section Division I playoff game that afternoon against visiting Diamond Bar.

But Blackmun had difficulty falling asleep and when he finally did--not long before sunup--he dreamed he hit a towering home over the left field fence that led the Monarchs to victory.

A few hours later, he not only could claim he dreamed it, he could say that he lived it.

Mater Dei polished off the Brahmas, 7-1, in front of a standing-room-only crowd. His three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, his seventh of the year, was the big play in a five-run outburst that also included a homer by Brett Kay, his sixth of the year.

Mater Dei Coach Bob Ickes had given the bunt signal to his cleanup hitter, who entered the game batting .448, but Blackmun muffed the attempt. The Monarchs had just taken a 1-0 lead on a run-scoring single by pitcher Mike Hessman. Hessman’s RBI followed a base hit by leadoff batter Mike Schneider and a walk to first baseman Mike Kolbach.

The Monarchs (24-3) added a run in the top of the sixth when third baseman Rod Fraser, who walked and eventually moved to third base, scored on a wild pitch by relief pitcher Chris Haverly.

Hessman (9-0) struck out nine and walked one. He lost his bid for a shutout in the top of the seventh inning when he gave up a two-out double to Diamond Bar’s Spencer Oborn that drove in Alvin Graham. Graham got aboard to lead off the inning when third baseman Fraser muffed his ground ball.

Otherwise, it was an impressive outing for Hessman (9-0), who had struggled in his previous three starts. In the sixth inning, he ended a Brahma rally with two men on by striking out pinch hitter Franco Ferrera and shortstop Mike Burns.

“Sure, I was disappointed that I didn’t get the shutout,” he said. “I should have thrown that guy [Oborn] a changeup instead of a fastball, but the victory still works for me.”

The Monarchs will play Fountain Valley in a semifinal at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Blair Field. Diamond Bar finished 18-9-1.