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LOS ANGELES — Dodger Dogs in the morning.
That’s what Kennedy and Sylmar baseball fans will have available to them on Saturday for the L.A. City Section Division I final at Dodger Stadium at 10 a.m. after coming away victorious in the semifinals at USC’s Dedeaux Field on Tuesday.
Kennedy’s Alonzo Munoz pitched a complete game shutout to lead the Cougars to a 2-0 win over Sun Valley Poly in the first game of the doubleheader, and Sylmar freshman Alex Martinez threw a complete game shutout under the lights to anchor the Spartans’ 3-0 win over San Pedro.
Kennedy is heading to Dodger Stadium to play in the City Section Division I final after a 2-0 win over Sun Valley Poly. Alonzo Munoz pitched a complete game shutout. Kennedy is back in the final for the first time since 2006. pic.twitter.com/SkIz8rKtjP
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) May 24, 2023
Munoz allowed five hits and struck out four to give Kennedy (19-8) its first City final appearance since 2006 and will be the program’s ninth appearance all-time. Sylmar will play in its first City final since 2002 and will look to lift its first City crown since 1980.
Kennedy took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a double from Jared Aguilera to score Santiago Torres. The Cougars doubled their lead in the top of the seventh inning when Abel Castillo hit an RBI double to score Andrew Aguirre for more insurance. Munoz delivered a strikeout for the third out in the bottom of the seventh and the celebration ensued.
Sylmar (22-9) will play in its fifth final in program history thanks to the play of Martinez, who allowed just three hits, walked two and struck out six. He retired six straight batters in the fifth and sixth inning before striking out two in the seventh, including the third out to end the game.
Sylmar is headed to Dodger Stadium to play Kennedy in the City Division I final on Saturday at 10 a.m.
It’s the program’s first City final since 2002, but Sylmar hasn’t won a City title since 1980.
Freshman Alex Martinez threw a complete game shutout – 6Ks – gutty performance. pic.twitter.com/hH2At2VwUK
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) May 24, 2023
Martinez also helped his own cause with an RBI single to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead in the second inning. He drew a walk and laid down a sacrifice bunt in his third at-bat.
Sylmar later scored two runs in the fourth inning to balloon its lead to 3-0 before Martinez got out of a jam in the bottom of the fourth by striking out a batter with the bases loaded to end the inning.
OPEN DIVISION SEMIS
The City Section Open Division semifinals will be played Wednesday afternoon in another doubleheader at USC’s Dedeaux Field. Birmingham Charter will play Palisades at 3 p.m. and Granada Hills will take on Carson at 6 p.m.
The winners will collide at Dodger Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. for a chance to lift the Open Division City crown.
Third-seeded Birmingham will be without star senior Gavin Taylor, according to coach Matt Mowry. Mowry couldn’t comment as to why Taylor can’t play, but said the BYU commit will miss the rest of the season. If the Patriots find a way to Dodger Stadium, Taylor will not be available.
Birmingham is expected to throw its top pitcher Daniel Flores and Palisades is expected to throw its ace in USC-bound Mason Edwards, a lefty. Birmingham is hoping to make its 11th final appearance and fifth in the last six years. The Patriots won three straight in 2017-19 and were the runner-up in last year’s final, falling to Chatsworth 2-0.
Granada Hills, the No. 1 overall seed, finally made it to USC after falling short in the quarterfinals the last two seasons despite being the top seed. The Highlanders are coming off their third straight West Valley League title, led by seniors Miles Ortiz and Andrew Cuervo and junior UCLA commit Easton Hawk.
Granada Hills is trying to make its first City final appearance to the section’s top division since 1986. Since then, the Highlanders have appeared in six City finals, but each appearance being in the ‘Invitational’ final (lower level).