Sports
Centaurs Baseball Wins Big in Playoff Opener
Culver City High routs Westminster in the first round; hosts Paramount on Thursday.
Perhaps all of the pre-playoff speculation about the Ocean League being weak was just the tonic Culver City High's baseball team needed heading into Friday's CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoff opener against Westminster.
The Centaurs entered the postseason coming off back-to-back losses to league rival Santa Monica and had to travel south on the 405 Freeway for their first-round game against the Golden West League champion.
It hardly mattered. Culver City (14-12-1) won by a 9-0 score and, after dispatching the Lions (15-12) in surprisingly dominant fashion, the Centaurs advanced to the second round where they will host San Gabriel Valley League champion Paramount (22-6) at 3 p.m. next Tuesday.
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Paramount won its first-round game by the same score over Cajon.
Ocean League champion Santa Monica was eliminated 9-3 by Almont League runner-up Montebello.
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Tuesday's winner will play either Irvine University of the Pacific Coast League or Garden Grove League champion Rancho Alamitos in the quarterfinals Friday.