Athletics
Jaguar Athletics
San Diego Lions Baseball Tournament Elimination Rounds Recap
The Jaguars advance to the Lions Tournament Division 2A Championsip Game and finish as runner-up at the tournament
Boys Varsity Baseball (14-5 overall, 7-3 league)
de Toledo 3 - VAAS 0 (Lions Tournament Division 2A Semifinals)
The bats were hushed in the early half of the game on both sides, before the Jaguars broke out with a two-run inning in the bottom of the fourth that sent de Toledo to the championship game behind immaculate pitching. Starter Jacob Willinger and usual starter and super-reliever in this game Ethan Stubington quieted Valley Academy of Arts & Sciences through a complete scoreless seven innings. Willinger surrendered only three hits and a walk in facing 16 batters and Stubington was just as stingy, giving up one hit and one walk against 11 batters. The Vipers could not riddle either pitcher, but Stubington, in particular, was mystifying them with a .100 batting average against.
On the mound and on the field, the Jaguars played a flawless game. It may have taken the bats a while to enter the fold, but once they did in the fourth, they provided enough runs to back up the stupendous pitching. Sam Koeppel (1-3, 2 R) was first to reach base during the inning on a single grounder down the middle. Willinger (1-3, RBI, 2B) then supported his pitching campaign with a double to left field that scored Koeppel. As the outfielder went home to attempt to catch Koeppel at the plate, Willinger advanced to third to stoke the team’s fire. Stubington (1-3, R, RBI, 2B) followed by hitting into a fielder’s choice, with Willinger out on a tag at home and with Stubington heading over to second. Carson Kirshbaum (1-3, RBI, 2B) promptly doubled on a line drive to left field to score Stubington and to give the Jaguars a 2-0 lead, which seemed akin to a 20-0 lead, given the pitching prowess. de Toledo scored an insurance run in the sixth inning on a Stubington double that scored Koeppel.
The Jaguars have now advanced to the Lions Tournament Championship Game in two consecutive seasons, last year in the 1A Division and this year in the 2A Division. Despite being bumped up this year to face stronger competition, the team is faring equally with dominant pitching, awoken bats, and composed fielding.
de Toledo 8 - Heritage Christian 18 (Lions Tournament Division 2A Championship)
The Jaguars finished as the runner-up in the Division 2A Lions Tournament with a loss to Heritage Christian in the final. de Toledo played an uncharacteristic game against an outstanding lineup that pummeled all pitching thrown their way. The Jaguars were, in particular, having a tough time keeping the Warriors off of the scoreboard early in the game, including giving up seven runs in the first inning. de Toledo, however, did bounce back from that early deficit by racking up a staggering eight runs in the second to take the one-run lead. This run momentarily shocked Heritage Christian, as if they had never seen a seven-run comeback happen in a single inning. The Jaguars, though, were having trouble with their command on the hill, walking in runs and hitting locations favorable to the batters. Unlike the Warriors, who were able to produce runs in all but one of the following innings, the Jaguars offensive tear stood solely in the second inning, which allowed Heritage Christian to widen the gap as the game went on.
de Toledo will now turn their focus to the CIF Southern Section Division 6 Playoffs, which start at the end of the month. The team has automatically qualified for the playoffs per the league’s standings. The bracket for the playoffs will be released on Monday, April 29 at 10:00 AM.
Located in the San Fernando Valley portion of the City of Los Angeles in Northern Los Angeles County. de Toledo High School is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and Builders of Jewish Education (BJE,) and financially supported by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Jim Joseph Foundation.
