Sports
Padilla Pitches Samohi Baseball to Big Victory
The junior left-hander threw a complete-game three-hitter in a 2-1 win at Culver City on Tuesday.
In a pitchers' duel that had all the drama and intensity of a playoff game, was in good hands with Adam Padilla on the mound and first place in the Ocean League baseball standings at stake.
The junior left-hander tossed a three-hitter and went all seven innings in the Vikings' 2-1 road victory over Culver City on Tuesday afternoon. The win gave the team a one-game lead with one to play.
In Samohi's biggest game of the season, Coach Sheldon Philip-Guide handed the ball to a player who had gotten it done before—and his faith was rewarded.
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"Last season, Adam came here and shut them out [3-0] in the last game, so he's not intimidated by this field or their fans," Philip-Guide said. "He rises to the occasion against them. He was going on four days rest but he wanted the ball."
Culver City right-hander Tyler Mark matched Padilla pitch-for-pitch for seven innings, but in the end, the visiting Vikings capitalized on a few mistakes to spoil the Centaurs' Senior Day and take the opener of a home-and-home series.
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"Culver City is a fundamentally sound team," Philip-Guide said. "It was going to be low-scoring—that was the blueprint of the game. Winning this one was huge because it was at their place, but we still have a lot of work to do."
Indeed, in games between evenly matched teams, it is often the "little" things that determine the outcome. Samohi (12-16 overall, 9-0 in league) scored on an error in the top of the first inning then took a 2-0 lead in the fourth on a run-scoring single by David Tyre-Vigil.
"Getting the first run was huge," Philip-Guide said. "It made all the difference because it allowed us to keep the bats swinging and not have to play small ball."
Culver City answered back in its half of the fourth when George Aceves singled to score Skylar Blocker and cut the Vikings' lead to 2-1.
The Centaurs threatened to tie it in the sixth when Tyler Atkison singled up the middle and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a strikeout, Ryan Mulvihill was walked intentionally, but Mark grounded to second to end the inning.
After Mulvihill threw out all three Samohi batters on sharp grounders to third in the top of the seventh, Culver City (13-11-1, 8-1) was retired in order in its final at-bat. Aceves lined out to first, Darian Sylvester flied to center and Sean Cogman worked a full count before swinging through a shoulder-high fastball to end the game.
Last season, a similar scenario unfolded, except that it was Culver City winning the first game on the road before dropping the second at home to settle for being co-champions.
"I gotta believe the script is written that way in 2011," Centaurs Coach Rick Prieto said. "Just like last year, you had two pitchers who were feeling it. The bottom line is that we have to score runs. It was great defense and timely hitting on both sides, it's just that our hits were right at people."
Culver City needs to win Thursday's rematch at Samohi to gain a share of the league title. Mulvihill is confident his team can do it.
"They just outplayed us today, that's all," he said, wearing a candy necklace given to him after the game as one of the seven seniors on varsity. "Their guy threw a great game. There was nothing we could really do except keep swinging. We're not down, though. We're going after them for sure [Thursday]."
Philip-Guide said Samohi will probably start senior left-hander Andrew McRitchie in the league finale, but he hasn't made a final decision. First pitch is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. Thursday, and a victory will can clinch the outright league title for the Vikings.