Culver City High Baseball Beats Paramount

Back on its home field for the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs, the Culver City High baseball team was determined to build off of the momentum from its 9-0 rout at Westminster last Friday. 

The Centaurs (15-12-1) did just that, beating San Gabriel Valley League champion Paramount 9-5  on Tuesday and advancing to the quarterfinal round Friday. Ace pitcher Tyler Mark started and reliever Lukas O'Connor got out of bases-loaded jams in the last two innings to preserve the victory.

Rodney Bradley's bloop triple down the third-base line scored the first run and, after a walk, a hit batter, a sacrifice fly and a single, Pirates starter Alex Navarette found himself down 3-0. O'Connor used aggressive base running to leg out a triple and Mark helped his own cause by tagging out a Paramount runner trying to score from third. Centaurs third baseman Tyler Mulvihill was called out at the plate trying to score in the third inning. 

The Centaurs chased Navarette after he allowed a single to start the third inning, but reliever Rafael Serna fared no better, allowing five straight hits. Meanwhile, Mark cruised through five innings but was lifted in the sixth after allowing a run-scoring double.

Paramount (22-7), which had won its first-round game 9-0 over Cajon, plated all five of its runs in the top of the sixth inning to narrow its deficit to 9-5, but it had too big a deficit to overcome. 

Culver City now travels to Irvine to take on University, the at-large team out of the Pacific Coast League. The winner of Friday's game advances to the semifinals next Tuesday.

The Division 3 final is Thursday, June 2, at 4:30 p.m. at Dodger Stadium.