Celts Surprised in the Easton Showdown Tournament

The Crespi Baseball team opened the season with four victories and one loss in the Easton Showdown Tournament at Valley College. The Celts started the tournament 3-0 with wins over Lancaster, El Camino, and Cleveland. With the three wins, Crespi baseball had won seventeen games in a row at the Easton Showdown. Unfortunately for the Celts, the streak that began in 2008 was over after a 1-0 loss to Moorpark.

Even though Crespi is out of the finals of the Easton Showdown for the first time in three years, the young talent on the team will make this an interesting season. The loss to Moorpark was highlighted by a dramatic eighth inning after the Musketeers scored the only run in the game on a sacrifice fly ball. The play was overshadowed by a near-perfect performance by Crespi pitcher Nick Morton.

Morton tossed a seven inning shutout and allowed two hits, two walks, and struck out two. A Moorpark runner did not reach third base. The Celts generated enough offense to support Nick’s second start by threatening with runners in scoring position in the second, third, fifth, and seventh innings. Crespi was unable to capitalize.

In the 9-6 victory over El Camino in third game, Morton tossed six shutout innings for the win in his debut. This time he received some run support after a Crespi twelve-hit attack led by freshman Jacob Villela. Villela had three hits, including a double, and a run scored. One of Crespi’s top college prospects, Madison Dang added a single that scored two more runs to secure the victory.

Villela and sophomore Andy Frakes played a major role along with Oregon-bound Scott Heineman to open the 2011 season with a win over Lancaster, 4- 2. Heineman tossed a three-hit complete game. Even though Heineman got off to a rough start, allowing unearned runs in each of the first and second innings, he settled down and tossed five scoreless innings. Scott allowed two runners to reach base and struck out six along the way.

Frakes led the Celt seven-hit attack with two hits and two RBIs. Crespi overcame a two-run deficit with three runs at the bottom of the fourth inning. The Celts added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Villela reached base on a fielder's choice, and stole second. Villela was replaced by pinch runner Nikki Linton, who scored on two wild pitches.

Crespi’s 7-3 victory over Cleveland in second game of tournament had a wild finish as well. Cleveland capitalized on three hits to score two runs in the bottom of the second inning. The Celts countered with a pair of runs of their own in the top of the third inning. A single by Heineman scored Vince Leoni, and then a double from Villela scored Heineman. Cleveland added another run in the fifth inning to take the lead.
A two-out single by Freshman Daniel Avalos in the top of the sixth inning drove home Michael Leoni and evened the score for Crespi at 3-3. With the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning, a two-out single by Jack Colick scored Nikki Linton and Vince Leone. The two runs secured the game.

After Morgan Grisham’s run scoring double in the seventh inning, the game was out of reach. Despite the early runs, Heineman picked up his second win of the season tossing a complete game four-hitter allowing three runs, two earned, and striking out six.