It’s Playoff Holiday for Antelopes

OXNARD — The Antelope Valley High baseball team took a Holiday to play at Rio Mesa on Friday in a Southern Section Division II first-round playoff game.

Jeremy Holiday, to be exact. He made the difference for the Antelopes with a gritty pitching effort and two runs batted in during a 5-4 victory.

A senior left-hander, Holiday started and pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and four runs, all earned.

Four of the hits and all of the runs came in the final two-thirds of an inning for Holiday, who tired and was relieved by Brian Scoles, who earned his fifth save.

Antelope Valley (17-10), which plays host to West Torrance on Tuesday in a second-round game, led, 5-0, in the sixth before Rio Mesa (19-6) pulled within a run in the bottom of the inning.

The Spartans, Channel League co-champions, squandered a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity in the fifth and had the tying run on first in the seventh but could not score.

“This time of year one mistake can blow up and kill you and we made several mistakes,” said Rio Mesa Coach Richard Duran, whose team committed three errors. “But (Holiday) made some key pitches when he had to.”

Holiday (10-5) moved front-and-center for Antelope Valley several weeks ago, after standout pitcher and pro prospect Sean Douglass quit the team over a disagreement with Coach Ed t’Sas. Friday, Holiday struck out 10 and walked seven--one intentionally--while throwing 115 pitches.

Holiday also singled in a run in the second and sixth in his first offensive start.

“I got a couple of pinch hits the last couple of games so they gave me a chance to keep it going,” he said with a smile.

Antelope Valley, the Golden League co-champion, took a 1-0 lead in the second when Mike Seward was singled in by Holiday.

The Antelopes appeared to break the game open in the sixth, using four hits and two Spartan errors to score four times and take a 5-0 lead.

But Rio Mesa, which had only three hits in the first five innings, rallied in its half of the sixth. With one out, the Spartans strung together two singles and a double to make the score 5-1.

Holiday struck out David Betancourt for the second out and the Antelopes intentionally walked Paul Ayala to load the bases.

Two pitches later, Adrian Gascon singled to score Jason Ulmer and Tyrone Nunnery and send Ayala to third. The next batter, Richard Almanza, singled Ayala home to close the deficit to 5-4.

Antelope Valley second baseman Brandon Sadler threw out Richard Martinez at first by half a step for the final out of the sixth.

Rio Mesa starter Jake Kor allowed three hits and three runs in five-plus innings. Greg Ramirez (8-3) got the loss in relief.

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Playoff Highlights

Friday’s results in Southern Section first-round baseball games involving teams in the region

Division I

* Servite 14, Highland 2

* Crespi 8, Crescenta Valley 6

* Royal 12, Palmdale 2

* Notre Dame 10, Camarillo 6

Division II

* Antelope Valley 5, Rio Mesa 4

* Hart 4, Righetti 2

Division III

* Chaminade 4, Atascadero 2

* Burbank Burroughs 5, Torrance 2

* Westlake 12, Moorpark 1

Division IV

* Calabasas 5, Fillmore 4

* Alemany 9, Oak Park 3

* San Luis Obispo 10, Nordhoff 2

Division V

* Kilpatrick 8, St. Bonaventure 4

* L.A. Baptist 8, Crossroads 6

* Mary Star 10, Campbell Hall 8

* Flintridge Prep 12, St. Margaret’s 2

* Kern Valley 11, Lancaster Desert Christian 2

Division VI

* L.A. Lutheran 16, Lancaster Bethel Christian 0

* Viewpoint 18, Highland Hall 1

Highlights in roundup, C8