Will Goodwin was dealing on Friday and Bishop Diego baseball scrapped some runs together and took down No. 2 seed Carnegie-Riverside 2-0 to advance to the CIF-SS Division-7 championship semifinals.
Goodwin was nearly untouchable, as he allowed only one baserunner through the first five innings.
The Cardinals got on the board early with a run in the first and second innings, thanks to good baserunning.
Goodwin led off the first inning with a single to right field. In the next at bat, Matthew Pate reached on an error that advanced Goodwin to second. Goodwin was forced out at third on a Gabe Arteaga bunt attempt, but Pate and Arteage advanced to third and second on a double steal while Daniel Giannini was batting. Carnegie pitcher Connor Guise then tossed a pitch in the first and Pate darted home from third to score the game’s first run.
In the bottom of the second inning, Jake Koeper hit a one-out single and advanced to second on a Sebastian De La Rocha sacrifice bunt. Caper then scored from second when Will Goodwin hit a ground ball that found its way through the legs of Carnegie second baseman Haydon Huff.
The two runs were more than enough for Goodwin.
Dylan Landeros led off the top of the third with a ground-rule double to deep center field that nearly cleared the fence. Goodwin beared down and struck out the next three batters to escape the jam.
“Right off the bat, I thought it was gone,” said Goodwin of Landeros’ double. “Thankfully it stayed in the park and we managed to keep him on second.”
Goodwin didn’t face trouble again until the top of the seventh, when Carnegie put runners on first and second with one out. Knowing he wanted a ground ball, Goodwin got Guise to hit a chopper to Giannini who started a 4-6-3 double play that ended the game.
“I was just saying, ‘let’s go’” explained Goodwin. “I knew my infield…our defense is what was working for us today.”
Goodwin’s final line was seven innings pitched, four hits, no walks, and six strikeouts. He didn’t allow a runner to reach third base all game.
Goodwin’s counterpart Guise also threw a complete game allowing seven hits in six innings while striking out six. Neither of the runs he allowed were earned.
The Cardinals get back seniors Tyler Green and James Renick on Tuesday, who missed Friday’s game for a senior event. De La Rocha filled in for Green in his first career start at first base, prompting a post game “shout out” from Goodwin.
Bishop Diego rides a huge momentum train into the semifinals next week, having won nine straight. Arteaga takes the mound on Tuesday at No.1 seed Faith Baptist (21-1), who defeated Apple Valley Christian 7-3 on Friday.
“The kids don’t want to wait until next year,” claimed Bishop Diego head coach Ralph Molina. “They want to win this thing now.”
“We’re just trying to keep the momentum going.” — Noozhawk sports reporter Christian Eckert can be reached at ceckert@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports and @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.