BASEBALL NOTEBOOK

It’s showdown time in the Southern Section Division V playoffs.

Alpha League champion L.A. Baptist (20-5) meets Delphic League champion Montclair Prep (15-8) today in an intriguing second-round matchup at Mission Hills Senior Little League.

The game features two of the hottest hitters in Division V. Senior shortstop Andrew Petersen of L.A. Baptist is batting .517 with 10 home runs and 39 runs batted in. Junior first baseman Brian Trump of Montclair Prep is batting .531 with eight home runs, 15 doubles and 28 RBIs.

The teams are familiar with each other--they combined to form the North Valley American Legion team last summer and will play together again this summer.

“We know a lot about the nucleus and core of their group,” L.A. Baptist Coach Mark Hubbard said.

L.A. Baptist, which did not play in the final week of the regular season because of a scheduling mix-up, struggled to a 6-5 victory over Loma Linda Academy in a first-round game Friday.

“Hopefully we got the cobwebs out,” Hubbard said.

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La Canada (17-5) hosts top-seeded Bishop Amat (20-2), ranked No. 4 in the nation in one poll, in a second-round Division IV game today.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for our league and for La Canada,” Spartan Coach Dan Cowgill said.

La Canada, runner-up in the Rio Hondo League, played No. 3-seeded Monrovia (19-3) closely in two of three league losses, a sign the Spartans can be competitive against Bishop Amat, Cowgill said.

“They have a great tradition [but] we’re capable of winning,” he said.

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Paraclete pulled off one of the biggest upsets Friday, defeating No. 2-seeded Riverside Notre Dame, 12-7, in a Division V playoff opener.

The Spirits (12-11), a wild-card team, were among only two teams to upset a team seeded No. 1 or 2 in six divisions.

Adam Lynch had a double, home run and three RBIs for Paraclete, which hosts Boys’ Republic (24-4-1) today.