Baseball: Mater Dei wins final game to earn Division 1 playoff spot

Facing a must-win situation if it wanted to qualify for the Southern Section Division 1 baseball playoffs, Santa Ana Mater Dei turned to freshman Nick Pratto and junior Bryan Call to lead a 9-2 victory over Trinity League champion JSerra on Thursday night.

Pratto threw a complete game. Call, the son of Mater Dei Coach Burt Call, went three for three, including a two-run home run. Mater Dei finishes in fourth place with a .500 record, making the Monarchs playoff eligible.

“Anything can happen in the playoffs,” Burt Call said. “I think we can make some noise.”

Mater Dei has won five of its last six games.

Santa Margarita finished in second place after an 8-4 win over St. John Bosco. Nick Wallace had three hits. Ryan Watts hit a grand slam and three pitchers combined on a three-hitter to help Orange Lutheran defeat Servite, 7-0.

Chino Hills won the Sierra League title after a 16-9 win over Damien. Cody Sporrer hit two home runs, had a double and six RBIs.

In the Mission League, Michael Vokolich threw a complete game and hit a three-run home run in Harvard-Westlake’s 4-2 win over Notre Dame. Alemany defeated Crespi, 16-8. Kyle Merkel threw four scoreless innings. Josh Carlin hit a grand slam.

In the Foothill League, Hart defeated Saugus, 9-8. Jack Ralston had a home run. Valencia defeated Golden Valley, 10-2. Chad Bible had a single, double and home run. Scott Ogrin had three RBIs. Canyon defeated West Ranch, 2-1. Danie Buonauro threw a complete game. Jason Drees extended his hitting streak to 20 games.

In the Sunet League, Fountain Valley defeated Edison, 9-2, to win the league title. Scott Schultz improved to 13-0. Daniel Patzlaff had three hits and four RBIs. Huntington Beach defeated Los Alamitos, 8-6. Noah Davis improved to 10-1.

In the Eastern League of the City Section, Garfield won the championship with a 3-0 win over Roosevelt.

Granada Hills Kennedy defeated Poly, 8-1. Felix Rubi threw a complete game, walking none. Alejandro Vasquez had two hits and three RBIs.

Santa Monica wrapped up a 10-0 league season and improved to 24-5 with an 11-2 win over Culver City.

Sierra Canyon improved to 24-5, setting a school record, with an 11-1 win over Milken. Jake Fried went three for three with three RBIs. Jackson Ramey won his 10th game.

In the Channel League, Santa Barbara defeated San Marcos, 5-3. Gabe Grandcolas struck out five in five innings.

In the Tri-Valley League, Oaks Christian defeated Bishop Diego, 6-2. Chris Davis had three hits.

In the Pacific League, Burroughs defeated Burbank, 5-0. Cole Meyer struck out eight in six innings.

In the Olympic League, Heritage Christian defeated Village Christian, 4-3. Kenny Williams had a bases clearing triple in the seventh.