Roosevelt Proving It’s One Tough Out

Los Angeles Roosevelt scored nine runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie Westchester in a semifinal of the RBI tournament on Friday, then scored three more with two outs in the eighth to win, 13-12.

The Roughriders (12-2) went on to beat South Gate, 3-2, for the title Saturday at USC. Senior Luis Badillo’s two-run homer in the fifth inning broke a 1-1 tie.

Badillo, a third baseman, is part of a lineup that is tough to keep off base in key situations, and particularly tough to strike out any time.

Roosevelt’s starters, including five sophomores and a freshman, had struck out only 32 times in 473 plate appearances headed into an Eastern League showdown Monday at Bell.

Senior catcher Eddie Martinez has 23 hits and no strikeouts in 53 at-bats, and sophomore twins Freddy and Jesse Castellanos have 17 extra-base hits between them but only three strikeouts in 108 at-bats. Even Tony Martinez, the No. 9 hitter and Eddie’s cousin, hitting only .156, has yet to strike out in 37 at-bats.

“Everyone has a good approach,” Coach Scott Pearson said. “The kids are just short to the ball and keep their hands in well.”

Pearson said his team’s most impressive offensive showing came in an 18-5 victory over Hawthorne last month.

Trailing, 5-3, with one out in the third, the Roughriders had nine consecutive hits and went on to score 15 runs on 14 hits in the inning.

The Roughriders return to Bell for a game on Wednesday.

-- Dan Arritt

Softball

No performance last week was more impressive, or surprising, than that of Diamond Bar, which won the Santa Maria Righetti Best of the West tournament.

The Brahmas (5-4) were winless and had been outscored, 22-3, going into the tournament, which featured five teams ranked among the state’s top 11.

But they defeated Righetti, 1-0, in a nine-inning quarterfinal; edged Clovis Buchanan, 2-1, in a semifinal, then bested San Bernardino Cajon, 3-1, for the title.

Righetti and Buchanan were ranked No. 6 and 9 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports. Diamond Bar, No. 12 in The Times’ preseason ranking, returns this week at No. 11.

In the championship, a rematch of last year’s title game won by Cajon, Lauren Briones, Cierra Nelson and Brittany La Rosa each drove in runs, and tournament MVP La Rosa pitched a five-hitter.

A 23-0 victory over Rocklin in the first game gave Diamond Bar “a little momentum,” Coach Roberta Garcia-Uyemura said.

La Rosa had eight hits and six RBIs in the tournament, and Lacey LeVier added five RBIs for the Brahmas. La Rosa gave up 12 hits and struck out 40 in 33 innings.

-- Martin Henderson

Wrestling

Brian Moreno of Santa Ana Foothill defeated Josh Statum of Alabama Homewood, 7-2, to win the title match of the 112-pound weight class Sunday at the National High School Wrestling Championships in Cleveland.

Moreno, named The Times’ wrestler of the year for the second year in a row after he won his third consecutive state title, finished the season 63-0.