A New Day at the Top

Southern Section baseball championship games will be played in six divisions on Friday and Saturday, and only one includes a team that opened the playoffs as a top-seeded team.

Westminster La Quinta, The Times’ top-ranked team and the No. 1-seeded team in Division IV, will play Huntington Beach Ocean View on Saturday morning at Dodger Stadium.

None of the top four seeded teams in Divisions I and II reached the final. Third-seeded West Covina South Hills advanced to the championship in Division III, and third-seeded Lake Isabella Kern Valley in Division V. Second-seeded Simi Valley Grace Brethren advanced in Division VI with the help of a forfeit.

Here is a look at the six championship games.

DIVISION I

* La Crescenta Crescenta Valley (24-3-1) vs. Anaheim Esperanza (21-7-1), Saturday at Dodger Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Defending champion Esperanza is making its sixth championship-game appearance, Crescenta Valley its first.

Esperanza also won titles in 1993 and 1986 under Coach Mike Curran. The Aztecs advanced to the final by defeating La Puente Nogales, Anaheim Servite, and Diamond Bar before defeating Long Beach Wilson, 10-2, in the semifinals.

Crescenta Valley, led by pitchers Jordan Olson and Josh Herman, advanced to the championship with victories over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Simi Valley Royal, Palmdale and Yucaipa.

DIVISION II

* Riverside Poly (22-6) vs. Corona (23-7), Saturday at Dodger Stadium, 4:30 p.m.

Riverside Poly, making its first championship game appearance since winning its only title in 1924, is coming off a 2-1 semifinal victory over top-seeded West Torrance.

The Bears are led by senior Rob Watson, batting .416, sophomore Ben Leach (15 homers) and pitcher Eric Fisher, 11-1 with a 2.67 earned-run average. Corona returns to a championship game for the first since 1992 when Coach Lyle Wilkerson’s team won the 3-A title.

DIVISION III

* Westlake (19-10) vs. West Covina South Hills (24-4), Saturday at Dodger Stadium, 1 p.m.

South Hills wasted no time making its presence felt in Division III after winning the Division IV championship last season.

The Huskies are making their fourth appearance in a final after defeating Brea Olinda, 8-4, in the semifinals. Jeff Stewart hit a grand slam and Chris DiBlasi had a three-run double for South Hills.

Westlake beat Phelan Serrano, 12-0, in the semifinals after dispatching Paso Robles, Goleta Dos Pueblos and Moorpark. Center fielder Joey Cuppari, batting .420, leads the Warriors, seeking their first title.

DIVISION IV

* Westminster La Quinta (30-1) vs. Huntington Beach Ocean View (21-10), Saturday at Dodger Stadium, 10 a.m.

La Quinta catcher Gerald Laird, a second-round pick by the Oakland Athletics in Tuesday’s draft, leads the Aztecs, who are seeking their third title.

Ocean View reached the final with a power display in its 8-5 semifinal victory over San Luis Obispo. Jason Miller hit two homers, Shawn White had a solo shot and John Clark hit a grand slam.

DIVISION V

* Temecula Linfield (21-3) vs. Lake Isabella Kern Valley (22-3), Friday at Blair Field, 7:30 p.m.

Linfield is trying to win its fifth title in six seasons. The Lions won four consecutive championships in 1993-96.

Kern Valley is making its first championship-game appearance.

DIVISION VI

* La Verne Lutheran (18-2) vs. Simi Valley Grace Brethren (20-2), Friday at Blair Field, 4:30 p.m.

La Verne Lutheran beat Ribet Academy, Norwalk Pioneer Baptist and Bloomington Christian to reach the final for the first time.

Grace Brethren thought its season had ended with a 4-2 loss against Arroyo Grande Pacific Coast Christian in the quarterfinals, but Pacific Coast Christian was forced to forfeit because its pitcher exceeded the Southern Section’s 10-inning-per-week rule.

Grace Brethren beat Colton Christian Center Academy to advance to the final.