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REDLANDS — Friday’s CIF Southern Section Division 3 quarterfinal game matched two baseball teams who had good pitching and good fundamentals.
Redlands East Valley sent Ryan Halamicek to the pitching mound, while Cole Schoenwetter pitched for the visitors from San Marcos. The game literally came down the way the ball bounced.
Caden Hadena led off the game with a solid hit to right field. It should have been a single, but the ball took a funny hop on the outfield grass and turned into a triple. Halamicek retired the next two batters, but Brad Cedeka smacked a single which hit the back of the pitching mound and went past the infield.
Pat Kelly followed with another RBI single, and that was all San Marcos needed to earn a 2-0 victory.
San Marcos (21-6), the Olympic League champion, will play South Torrance or Westlake in the semifinals Tuesday. Redlands East Valley finished with a 17-13 record.
Schoenwetter, a 6-foot-3 senior right-hander who will stay close to home to play at UC Santa Barbara, struck out nine batters in six innings. He did not allow a runner to reach third base, and the only hit he allowed was to Halamicek, who battled off 10 pitches before drilling a single to right.
“If there was another pitcher, maybe we get to keep playing,” REV coach Chris Paterson said.
Despite Friday’s result, the first-year coach considers the season a success because the Wildcats finished next-to-last in the Citrus Belt League standings last season.
Schoenwetter struck out two batters after Halamicek’s single to stop the fourth-inning rally.
In addition to outstanding pitching, Schoenwetter also had some fortunate timing in the third inning. He stepped off the mound, and caught Cameron Leaney trying to steal third.
“We knew he (Leaney) was really fast’,” said San Marcos coach Wesley Ghan-Gibson, who is in his third season as the Royals’ coach.
Paterson credited Halamicek with keeping the Wildcats in the game. That was evident in the top of the seventh.
Mason Pettingil opened the seventh with a single to center. Steven Bradley bunted the ball to Halamicek, whose off-target throw allowed Bradley to reach base. Darren Orlando had a successful sacrifice and Hadina was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out.
Brendon Cedeka hit a ball to shallow center, and Halamicek struck out Schoenwetter to retire the side.
Schoenwetter tossed 100 pitches in six innings. He was replaced by Orlando to start the seventh.
“He (Schoenwetter) gave us everything he had,” Ghan-Gibson said. “We’ve used Orlando late in games.”
Halamicek drew a lead-off walk, but Orlando retired the next three batters to save the San Marcos victory.
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