Irvine Advances to CIF-SS Semifinals

Irvine High reached the CIF Southern Section Division 5 semifinals with a 2-1 road win over Cathedral on Thursday at East Los Angeles College. The victory pushed the Vaqueros to 17-13 and extended a playoff run that already included a second-round upset of top-seeded Citrus Valley. (ocsportszone.com) OC Sports Zone reported that the semifinal berth is Irvine’s first since 1993. Kaiser advanced from the other side of the bracket with a 7-0 win over Santa Barbara on Friday. The game turned on pitching and a small number of scoring chances. Roshan Patel started for Irvine and Jason Alderson finished it, limiting Cathedral to five hits. Irvine scored once in the first inning and added another in the third, then protected the lead after Cathedral cut it to 2-1. (maxpreps.com) The CIF-SS Division 5 bracket lists Irvine at Kaiser in a semifinal scheduled for Tuesday, May 26. ### How did Irvine score the two runs it needed? Irvine took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Owen Song walked, used his speed to move into scoring position and came home on Smith Spivey’s RBI double to right-center, according to OC Sports Zone. Spivey finished with a double, an RBI and two times on base. (ocsportszone.com) The Vaqueros made it 2-0 in the third inning, giving Patel a narrow cushion in what became a pitcher’s duel. OC Sports Zone’s account did not describe the full inning in the excerpt available, but it reported that Irvine’s second run gave the Vaqueros the margin they carried into the late innings. (ocsportszone.com) ### What did Patel do before leaving the game? Patel worked into the sixth inning and left after facing one batter because of a right forearm cramp, OC Sports Zone reported. Before that, he mixed a fastball, curveball, two-seamer, four-seamer and change-up while Cathedral repeatedly stranded runners. (ocsportszone.com) “I kept using my fastball, curveball, two and four seamer, and change-up and looking for their weakness,” Patel told OC Sports Zone. After Gabriel Gallegos doubled to open the bottom of the sixth for Cathedral, Irvine went to Alderson with the tying run in scoring position. ### How did Alderson close out the win? (ocsportszone.com) Alderson entered in the sixth inning and retired three straight Cathedral hitters, striking out one before getting a flyout and an infield grounder, OC Sports Zone reported. He then set Cathedral down in order in the seventh, the first clean inning of the day against Irvine pitching. (ocsportszone.com) “I said to myself when I came in, this is it, we have nothing to lose, I’m going all out to get my job done,” Alderson told OC Sports Zone. He said he did not feel great in the bullpen but settled once he reached the mound. ### How unusual is this run for Irvine? (ocsportszone.com) OC Sports Zone reported that Irvine had not reached the semifinals since 1993. The Vaqueros entered the quarterfinal at 17-13 and had already won three straight playoff games, including a Tuesday victory over top-seeded Citrus Valley. The bracket shows Irvine opened the playoffs with a 4-2 win over Moreno Valley on May 15, then beat Citrus Valley 3-2 on May 19 before eliminating Cathedral 2-1. (ocsportszone.com) That sequence put Irvine into the final four of Division 5. ### What comes next against Kaiser? Kaiser earned its semifinal spot with a 7-0 quarterfinal win over Santa Barbara on May 22 in Fontana. (ocsportszone.com) Reports from the San Bernardino Sun and other outlets said Zeke Cortez threw a three-hit shutout and struck out 10 as Kaiser moved into the semifinals. The CIF Southern Section bracket lists the Irvine-Kaiser semifinal for Tuesday, May 26, and CIF-SS says playoff games before the final are set for 3:15 p.m. unless schools agree to a different time with section approval. (ocsportszone.com) The winner will advance to the Division 5 championship game scheduled for May 29. (cifss.org) (sbsun.com) (maxpreps.com)