Sports

Baseball: La Salle Turns To Goebel Against Palm Desert

Lancers face top team in Division 4, while Arcadia hits the road in the Division 2 playoffs.

In their biggest game of the season – a second round date at Citrus College with defending Division 4 champ and top-seeded Palm Desert – the Lancers will hitch their playoff hopes on the right arm of senior Garry Goebel, not season-long ace Bowdien Derby.

Derby threw 97 pitches Thursday in La Salle’s first round win over Covina. And with only four days off before Tuesday’s 3:15 p.m. start, Agajanian didn’t feel comfortable asking his star junior to log another seven innings. So the plan is the have Goebel pitch the first couple of frames with Derby waiting in the wings ala the Lancers' recent win over Montclair Prep when Goebel pitched the first four, Austin Wallis took the next two, and Derby pitched the seventh.

That isn’t to label Agajanian’s decision to put Goebel on the mound as a simple roll of the dice. All season Agajanian has maintained that the Lancers have more than a one-man pitching staff.

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“I have a lot of faith in Garry,” La Salle coach Harry Agajanian said. “If we can get him through the lineup a couple of times I think we’ll be successful.”

Goebel’s starts this year have been a mixed bag of sorts as he has a 4.41 ERA in 47 2/3 innings. At times he’s been incredibly effective: He threw a complete-game three-hitter against St. Monica on April 5. and he gave up one run in 6 1/3 innings against Bishop Montgomery on April 20.

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He’s also had a couple of forgettable outings against two-seed Bishop Amat in which he allowed a combined eight earned runs on 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Bring up those two outings, though, and Agajanian will point to the fact that the Lancers’ small home park with its hitter-friendly right-field fence contributed mightily to Goebel’s struggles. As far as Agajanian is concerned, there’s no doubt in his mind that he's is up to the challenge of taking on Palm Desert squad that averaged 8.2 runs a game this year.

“Garry’s a competitor,” Agajanian said. “When he gets on the mound he’ll sometimes have a mind of his own up there. He can sometimes be what we call effectively wild.”

“If his curveball is on, then he’s untouchable,” Agajanian added. “12-6 curveball. It buckles your knees; kind of comes right at you. That’s his best pitch.”

Helping the Lancers’ cause is Tuesday’s game will take place at Citrus College, where Agajanian’s son is an assistant baseball coach. The field at Citrus College is cavernous compared to the park at La Salle with dimensions running 315 feet down the left field line, 375 feet to center and about 320 feet to right. 

“It’s a big park,” Agajanian said. “We have to pitch well and we have to play perfect defense. We can’t give them any second or third opportunities we have to tie or win each inning.”

Arcadia faces tough Mission League test

When perusing the second round matchups in the Division 2 bracket, one thing stands out above everything else. Of the 16 teams remaining, four are from the Mission League. The Mission League’s 4-0 record in the first round was the best among all leagues, and St. Francis’ wildcard loss at Peninsula is the league’s lone blemish thus far on an otherwise sparkling 5-1 record.

And that’s the kind of pedigree No. 2 seed Arcadia faces when it travels to Alemany for Tuesday’s second round matchup beginning at 3:15 p.m. The Warriors (20-9) finished tied for third in the Mission League at 6-6 and have won seven of their last eight games.

“I know they’re good. We have a few reports on them,” Arcadia coach Nick Lemas said. “I’m sure it’s a competitive league. They’ve advanced quite a few teams in the next round. They’re quality teams.”

The Apaches enter Tuesday’s game riding their own hot streak. They’ve won their last 12 games, including a 4-3 win over La Sierra on Thursday for their first playoff win in six years.

“It’s a big relief to get that done,” Lemas said. “Celebrate that and enjoy that for a night and get back to work the next day.”

KJ Edson will get the start for the Apaches against Alemany. Edson threw 90 pitches and gave up three run in Thursday’s win over La Sierra.


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