PHOTOS: Cypress powers past Crean Lutheran to remain tied for Empire League lead

Nick Montgomery of Cypress takes a swing as Crean Lutheran catcher Jackson Haney gets ready. (Photos courtesy Crean Lutheran Shutterbugs / Ted Rigoni).

Cypress High School’s baseball team broke open a close game with six runs in the sixth inning and went on to defeat Crean Lutheran 13-5 in a wild Empire League game Friday at Crean Lutheran.

The Centurions (20-6) remain tied with Pacifica for first place in the league going into the final week of the league season. The two teams, 8-0 in league, meet twice next week, Tuesday at Pacifica and Thursday at Cypress. Pacifica (20-2) defeated Kennedy 2-0 Friday.

Cypress was tied for fifth and Pacifica ninth in this week’s CIF Division 1 poll.

“We’re in a position we should be in,” said Cypress Coach John Weber. “Pacifica is in the position they are in and both 8-0 and we get to strap it on and go to war on Tuesday and Thursday for all the marbles. I think it lines up perfect for us and then we’re going to be into the playoffs. Quite honestly, I don’t think any of us would want it any other way.”

Cypress won the league title last year with Pacifica finishing second. The teams shared the title in 2021.

Friday’s three hour and 15 minute game had a little bit of everything: a few balk calls that drew protests from the two coaches, disputed ball and strike calls and an appeal play in the fifth inning in which Crean Lutheran lost a run which would have tied it up after the umpire said the Saints runner left too soon on a fly ball to left field, all of this happening on a 92 degree day in Irvine.

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Crean Lutheran led 3-2 after two innings but Cypress was able to finish strong.

Cypress senior Matthew Morrell had a big game offensively, going 2 for 4 with three RBI and two runs scored. He also came on to pitch in the fifth inning in relief of starter Royce Roberts to get the win. Morrell pitched until the seventh when Gabe Cobian came on to finish the game.

“He did a really good job offensively,” Weber said. “He was very average pitching wise, but he’s our big guy, we got to roll with them.”

“It was a tough game with a lot of interesting calls going back and forth, we got some, they got some, so it was good for our guys to stay in it and get some good hits with runners on,” said Morrell, also a standout football player for Cypress. He has committed to play baseball at Oregon State.

“I think we’re in a good spot, we’ve been on the rise, practices have been good just focusing on doing our job and going it for the betterment of the team and just know your role on this team.”

Centurions first baseman Nick Montgomery also had a big day at the plate with four RBI and two runs scored. Right fielder Matthew Thomas had three hits and an RBI and a run scored.

Crean Lutheran (17-8, 4-4) has had an outstanding season, too and battled all the way Friday.

The Saints, ranked second in this week’s CIF Division 4, scored three runs in the second inning to take a 3-2 lead. Blake Needelman and Sho Garcia had singles. Garcia scored on an errant pickoff and Needelman came home when Jackson Haney reached on an error. Andrew Kezerle drove home the other run on a groundout.

But Cypress tied the game in the fourth inning off Saints starter Wyatt Nichol and moved ahead 4-3 in the fifth inning when Morrell drove home Cobian on a sacrifice fly.

The Saints thought they had tied the game in the fifth inning. Kezerle singled to lead off and advanced to third on a balk. Mark Fedro then flied out to left field and Kezerle tagged up to score. But Weber appealed the play and the run was negated. Saints Coach Jake Haney protested but the call stood.

Then Cypress took advantage of four walks and a hit batter to score six runs in the sixth inning to seal the win. Morrell drove home two runs with a double.

Crean Lutheran continued to battle. Jack O’Malley belted a two-run home run in the sixth inning to get the Saints on the scoreboard again.

Cypress added three more runs in the seventh. Montgomery had a two-run double and Thomas an RBI double.

“It was a tough one, it didn’t go the way we wanted,” said Haney, the Crean Lutheran coach. “I felt that we competed and hung in for a long time. There were some tough calls, but that’s baseball. They do the best they can. I thought it was a good learning experience for us because I felt we rode the wave emotionally of the game and I felt at times we kind of got emotionally out of control.

“We know we can compete with the best, we lost a heartbreaker on Wednesday (to Cypress), we got walked off on and for a long time today, even though we were winning and hanging in, we were not playing well. We have the ability to do it. We will bounce back, I don’t have any question about that.”

Third place Crean Lutheran plays at Brea Olinda Saturday, then wraps up Empire League play with two games next week vs. Tustin (4-16, 3-5).

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com