Faulty fielding dooms Rebels

GLENDALE — Had somebody mentioned to the members of the Flintridge Prep baseball team that they would score 10 runs in their CIF Southern Section Division V wild-card game Tuesday afternoon, the odds would have appeared in the Rebels’ favor that they would chalk up a victory.

After all, Flintridge Prep went 7-0 in regular season games when it reached double-digits. The problem for the Rebels on Tuesday was that, like the regular season, some shabby defense led to their undoing in a 14-10 road loss to Kern Valley.

Flintridge Prep (12-10) couldn’t protect two leads after traveling about 150 miles to Lake Isabella.

“We had a couple of costly errors throughout that led to three or four unearned runs,” said Flintridge Prep Coach Buzz Cook, whose team finished third in the Prep League behind Pasadena Poly and Rio Hondo Prep. The Rebels skidded down the stretch of the regular season, losing four of their final five games. They wrapped up the season with a three-game losing skid.

Flintridge Prep, which made its first postseason appearance since 2006, built a 3-1 lead on a three-run home run by third baseman Aaron Fried in the top of the second inning. Fried would contribute again in the fifth with a two-run double to give Flintridge Prep a 9-8 lead.

The lead didn’t last long, as the Broncs (19-8) spiked the plate six times in their half of the fifth to take a 14-9 lead. A couple of errors led to the Rebels’ demise.

“We had to use four different pitchers,” said Cook, whose team finished with 15 hits, including 10 for extra bases. “We had some missed opportunities, and it was just one of those days with who would push more runs across the plate.

“We just happened to give them a couple more runs.”

Flintridge Prep had a topsy-turvy season, which began with it winning 10 of its first 14 contests and enjoying a stint in first place in league after beating eventual league champion Pasadena Poly for the first time since 2006.

“It was a good season for us,” Cook said. “The first goal is to make the playoffs.

“Part of me can’t help but think that we peaked too early. We are still learning how to compete. The guys now have a small taste of the playoffs. Hopefully, they want more.”

Kern Valley, which finished third in the High Desert League, will meet host Nordhoff in a first-round contest at 3:15 p.m. Thursday.