Baseball: Apaches Fall Short of Title Game, Lose 3-2 To Etiwanda

All season long Arcadia had excelled in situations similar to the one the Apaches found themselves in Tuesday.

When they were down by a single run late in the game or when they clung to a shrinking lead, Arcadia had come up with the big hit or the key pitch necessary to prevail time and time again en route to a berth in the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 semifinals against Etiwanda.

But with a trip to Dodger Stadium on the line, Arcadia’s late-inning magic disappeared.

Instead, it was Etiwanda who made the clutch plays while the Apaches were the squad that came up short. And in a one-run game between two evenly matched squads, that difference was enough to carry the Eagles to a 3-2 win and a spot in Thursday’s title game after they began the playoffs as a lowly wildcard squad. The loss ends the Apaches’ bid at their first division championship since 1965.

“We were right there,” Arcadia coach Nick Lemas said. “It’s just tough to be that close and know that the season is over.”

Right from the get-go it became apparent for both squads that runs would be at a premium as Arcadia starter KJ Edson and Etiwanda’s Andy Cerroni dominated the early innings.

Edson was perfect through the first three frames — his unique side-arm delivery confounding an Eagles squad unaccustomed to pitchers with that kind of arm angle. Cerroni was equally effective, yielding just a first-inning single in his first three trips to the mound.

But after Etiwanda had a chance to study Edson one time through the lineup, batters were more prepared during the second and third at-bats against the Arcadia right-hander.

Senior shortstop Jake Gallaway led off the top of the fourth with a triple down the line in right field, and Ryan Hunter gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead with a RBI single. The one-run deficit marked the first time the Apaches (25-4) trailed in the entire postseason.

Michael Bradley then followed with a single to deep right-center field to put runners on first and third, and Etiwanda scored its second run on a slow dribbler to second.

“That kind of sparked us a little bit,” Etiwanda coach Don Furnald said. “To get a lead against (Edson) was just key for us because we didn’t really go out there and smack the ball around. We just grinded and we got a couple of runs. And we knew going against him we had to find a way because he’s such a good pitcher.”

Arcadia immediately answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth to cut its deficit in half, but a costly base running gaffe stymied the rally.

With runners at first and third and two outs, junior Gary Huang ripped a single to right field that scored senior Haram Park. Huang tried to stretch the single into a double, but he only made it halfway to second when the ball arrived in the infield and Huang was gunned down in a pickle.

“I just took off on my own,” Huang said. “I felt like I could make it to second. I thought that (the fielder) was still running for it and I was going to be safe, easy.”

The play seemed all the more dubious considering George Papavasiliou, who hit two doubles in the Apaches’ quarterfinal win Friday, was due up next and would have hit with the tying run at third.

While Lemas acknowledge that was a key moment in the game, he said there were multiple instances when a slightly different outcome could have turned the game for the Apaches.

“You could look back and say a lot of things go a little differently and it could be a different game,” Lemas said, “but bottom line is it went the way it went and we just didn’t get it done.” 

Etiwanda strung together three straight singles with two outs in the fifth to extend its lead to 3-1 as the Eagles continued to figure out how to attack Edson.

After those three perfect innings, Edson gave up three earned runs on nine hits in his final 3 1/3 before he left the game after Justin Broussard lined a single off his right knee in the top of the seventh. Lemas said Edson was fine after the game.

Though Edson succeeded in keeping the Eagles (18-11) from breaking open the game, the Etiwanda reliever Jason Broussard shutdown the Apaches after they crawled to within 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth.

After he balked in a run in the fifth, Broussard went on to strike out five and walk just one in the final 2 2/3 innings.

“We knew that guy — that guy’s big time,” Lemas said. “He’s a big time pitcher. I know scouts are looking at him, and now I see why.”

Arcadia looked like it got the tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh when Erik Trask led off the inning with an apparent infield single after the throw forced Etiwanda’s first baseman off the bag. But the first base umpire ruled Trask out, prompting a visit from Lemas, who wanted a ruling from the home plate ump.

“He said it was his call,” Lemas said. “I didn’t feel like his angle allowed him to see that guy’s foot off. I believe that his foot was off, all I wanted was for him to ask the home plate umpire who was looking right at just to see if he saw the same thing.”

Broussard struck out the next two batters to seal the game and set off a wild celebration in front of the pitcher’s mound.

But while the loss certainly stings at the moment, Lemas was able to reflect on the success the Apaches had this year. Arcadia went undefeated in the Pacific League for a second year in a row and won its first playoff game in six years.

“If you had told me that we were going to go 14-0 in league, and lose four games all year long, and make it to the semifinals I’d say, ‘I take it,’ ” Lemas said. “Looking back I’m just so proud of these guys. I mean no one thought we were going to make it this far.”