Sports
Centaurs Baseball Opens Playoffs Friday
Culver City will host Segerstrom or Eastside in the first round of Division 3.
After going undefeated in the Ocean League for the first time in school history, the Culver City High baseball team was rewarded with a home game in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs.
The Centaurs (19-8) will host the winner of Tuesday's wildcard game between Eastside (the third-place team from the Golden League) and Segerstrom (which got an at-large bid out of the Golden West League) at 3 p.m. Friday on campus.
If Culver City wins Friday, it would face Del Rio League champion California or Paramount (the third-place team from the San Gabriel Valley League), in the second round Tuesday, May 22. The quarterfinals are Friday, May 25, and the semifinals are Tuesday, May 29. The Division 3 championship game is at 1:30 p.m. Friday, June 1, at Dodger Stadium.
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On the opposite side of the draw from Culver City is Ocean League runner-up Santa Monica, which travels to San Gabriel Valley League champion Downey in the first round.
Hacienda League champion Bonita is the No. 1 seed and would meet Culver City in the quarterfinals if seedings hold. Seeded No. 2 is Pacific Coast League winner Beckman, the defending champion, which would not play the Centaurs until the finals.
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Two other Ocean League teams received wildcard berths. Third-place Hawthorne travels to Mark Keppel for a play-in game Tuesday while Beverly Hills travels to Corona del Mar. Should Hawthorne win it would travel to Sunbelt League winner Elsinore for a first-round game. Should the Normans defeat Corona del Mar they will travel to Golden League champion Lancaster.
After finishing second to Santa Monica in the Ocean League last spring, Culver City advanced all the way to the Division 3 semifinals, losing 2-1 to Woodbridge.
The Centaurs enter the postseason on a roll, winning 10 of their final 11 regular season games, six of the victories by shutout. Their last loss was a 4-2 defeat to Oaks Christian in a Redondo Tournament matchup April 28. Coach Rick Prieto's squad consists of 12 seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and one freshman--pitcher Jay Sterner.
SOFTBALL
After finishing second in the Ocean League behind Santa Monica, the Centaurs will hit the road for the first round of the CIF-SS Division 4 playoffs.
Culver City (14-12) travels to Channel League runner-up Buena on Thursday. The winner advances to meet either Mojave River League champion Oak Hills or Palm Desert (third place in the Desert Valley League) in the second round Tuesday, May 22.
Santa Monica hosts Westminster La Quinta in the first round. Hawthorne, which finished third in the Ocean League, earned a wildcard spot and hosts Hacienda Heights Wilson on Tuesday. The winner advances to a first-round game at No. 2-seeded Palm Springs La Quinta, the Desert Valley League champion.
The quarterfinals are Thursday, May 24, the semifinals are Tuesday, May 29, and the finals in all divisions are June 1 and 2 at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine.
The Centaurs, coached by John Sargent, won five of their final seven regular season games, outscoring the opposition 77-9 in those victories. They were 8-2 in league, losing twice to Santa Monica.
