The Boys Varsity Baseball team came out strong during the C.I.F. semi-final against Monrovia on June 2, shutting out the Wildcats 4-0 and making their way to the Div. 5 Championship at UC Riverside on June 6.
“We started out strong and fought hard the whole game,” Junior Paul Kosanovich said. “It was by far the greatest sporting event of my life.”
The strong performance was a result of the team’s focus and execution. After Sophomore Ryan Lewis scored the first run off a bunt from Junior Steven Aparicio, the team gained vital confidence. Even the Temple City fans, who outnumbered Monrovia fans at their own stadium, seemed to have a positive energy that benefited the players.
“Our biggest strength is that we all get along,” Senior Josh Speaks said. “We’re a big family and the team chemistry is great. The chemistry really helps because I love having my team behind me when I am pitching. I know they have my back.”
In the quarter final on May 28, the Rams narrowly defeated former C.I.F. Champions, Santa Ynez with a score of 3-2. After scoring a run early in the game, the Rams were able to maintain their lead by capitalizing on their opponents mistakes and taking advantage of several key plays before finally coming out on top.
The Rams beat Citrus Hill at home on May 26 in the third round. After narrowly escaping a loss to Arroyo in the second round on May 21.
The Rams opened the playoffs convincingly against Banning on May 20. Speaks pitched a shutout complete game and only gave up five hits through seven innings. The team scored seven runs in the second inning and tacked on five more runs later, leading them to a 12-0 victory.
“We have caught fire and are on a roll,” Junior Paul Kosanovich said. “Everyone realized it is win or go home.”
After starting the preseason with a four game win streak, the team was disappointed with a third place finish in the Rio Hondo League and a 5-6 league record. The Rams finished behind Monrovia and San Marino, but slipped into a wild card spot for a playoff berth.
“As the season progressed we started slacking off and losing games we should have been winning,” Senior Jake LeGrand said. “Going into this season everyone was aware the we had a great team and we could have a great season. Right before the playoffs, we had some serious talks at practice and our coaches reminded us that we had so much talent on this team and we needed to find ourselves and get back to that team we were in the beginning of the season.”