South Hills is in the CIF Southern Section baseball semifinals for the first time since 2016, and remember what happened that season.
The Huskies went on to win the CIF-SS Division 2 championship, which was the Huskies’ sixth title.
South Hills (23-6), the No. 2 seed, will get another chance to punch its ticket to a championship game when it hosts Calabasas (22-9) in the Division 2 semifinals Tuesday at 3:15 p.m.
The Huskies have advanced in the playoffs with superior pitching, led by Sterling Patick, who nearly threw a no-hitter in their 6-0 opening-round win over Great Oak and turned away a strong-hitting West Ranch squad in the quarterfinals, going six innings in the 2-1 victory.
The Huskies will likely use the combination of Daniel Camou and Joseph Moreno on the bump against Calabasas, as they did in their second-round win over Charter Oak, with Moreno providing four-no hit innings in relief to help them get the victory.
Moreno, who was previously a starter, has been key during the playoffs in relief. He pitched the seventh inning during their quarterfinal win over West Ranch, shutting them down in order to advance.
Calabasas, the Marmonte League champion, has been difficult to slow offensively. They beat Lakewood (11-4) and Vista Murrieta (8-3) before fending off Gahr 3-1 in the quarterfinals. Calabasas played two of the San Gabriel Valley’s best Division 1 programs, beating Maranatha (7-2) and losing to San Dimas (5-3).
The pick: South Hills
In other CIF-SS semifinals Tuesday:
DIVISION 6
Hesperia Christian (17-2) at San Marino (20-6), 3:15 p.m.
After winning the Rio Hondo League title, the Titans have continued to impress in the playoffs as they try to win their first championship since 1992.
The Titans’ biggest win came in the quarterfinals as they knocked off No. 2 seed Campbell Hall, 2-1. The Titans got a great performance from senior pitcher Michael Liquori, who pitched a complete game and allowed just three hits with six strikeouts.
The Titans on Tuesday will likely start sophomore pitcher Tomas Bilvado, who went all seven innings in their 7-2 second-round win over Alhambra.
They have plenty of offense with guys like Truman Koch, Coleman Morning, Tyler Giddings and Ryan Park.
Hesperia Christian knocked off No. 3 seed Norwalk 8-3 in the semifinals and has just two losses this season.
The pick: San Marino
DIVISION 7
Fillmore (16-13) at Cantwell Sacred Heart (16-10), 3:15 p.m.
Both teams reached the semifinals despite having double-digit losses on their record. Both team are also somewhat of a surprise after Cantwell Sacred Heart finished third in the Santa Fe League and Fillmore fourth in the Citrus Coast League.
Fillmore has been surprisingly dominant, opening the playoffs by knocking off No. 2 seed St. Genevieve 10-2, and then advancing easily to the semifinals by beating Animo Leadership (10-0) and Artesia (7-1).
Cantwell has been just the opposite, advancing with back-to-back one-run wins, beating Oakwood (1-0) and Banning (3-2) in the quarterfinals.
The pick: Fillmore
