As the 2021 high school baseball season ended, Harvard-Westlake right-hander Bryce Rainer was on top of the world as a 15-year-old freshman. His team won a Southern Division 1 Championship and he took the mound 9-0.
Fast forward to Friday afternoon at O’Malley Family Field, with snow on the mountains across center field. It was his first start since June 15, 2021. He didn’t pitch in 2022 and opted to keep his precious arm.
He threw four consecutive balls to start the game against St. Francis, all at 92 mph, then struckout three consecutive batters. St. Francis’ first seven outs were strikeouts. He threw 60 pitches and switched positions in the third inning with two outs after striking out seven, walking four and giving up no hits.
Harvard-Westlake (5-2, 2-1) would go in a 5-2 Mission League victory over the Golden Knights thanks to excellent relief from Holden Rath, who gave up no hits in 2 1/3 innings and an add-on go away. arm on a staff that could be frighteningly good come playoff time in May.
You could tell how much hilling talent Rainer has, not to mention his hitting skills. That makes scouts wonder what position he will focus on as a professional player. There were no scouts at the important game, but by 2024 people will be struggling to find parking. He strikes out 14 batters in 5 2/3 innings this season and does not allow a basehit.
“It feels pretty good,” Rainer said of the re-pitch. “It’s different to come back.”
The big news for high school baseball is how good the Wolverines pitching team can get. Junior Thomas Bridges is in great shape and another junior, Duncan Marsten, will make his high school debut this Friday after missing the past two years with injuries. He throws harder than Rainer and is committed to Stanford. First he had a back injury, then he was operated on by Tommy John.
“Duncan is very good. He throws gas,” Rainer said.
Harvard-Westlake was without coach Jared Halpert, who attended a funeral for his father, David. Coach Joe Guntz led the team.
Valencia 7, Taft 0: Richard Ojeda threw a perfect game, retired all 21 batters and hit 12.
Cypress 6, J Serra 3: Gabe Cobian had three hits and two RBIs, and Matthew Thomas added three hits as Cypress No. 1 handed JSerra his first loss. Cobian hit seven in three scoreless innings of relief.
Santa Margarita 6, Damian 2: Blake Wilson had three hits, including a home run, to lead the Eagles.
Royal 1, Camarillo 0: Trevor Hansen scored a one-hit shutout for Royal with nine strikeouts.
Villa Park 2, Esperanza 0: Left-hander Brandon Luu threw a shutout and hit 10.
Cleveland 7, Marshall 0: Kevin Vazquez and Aiden Siritto combined for a three-hit shutout for the Cavaliers.
Long Beach Millikan 1, Trabuco Hill 0: Austin Paul hit nine in seven innings and Brett Moody followed with two shutouts in the nine-inning win. Jacob Robinson had the green light in the ninth.
Westlake 3, Verdugo Hill 1: Nate Johnson had two hits in Westlake’s win.
Narbonne 3, Marina 2: Owen Martin and Derek Bringas each had two hits for the Gauchos.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 9, Bishop Alemany 2: Dean West contributed two hits and three RBIs and Madden Ocko had three hits for the Knights (6-0, 3-0) to complete a Mission League sweep.
Chaminade 7, Crespi 7: The Mission League game was abandoned due to darkness and ended in a draw. Greg Rangel hit a three-run home run in the sixth for Chaminade to tie the score. Newcomer Isaiah Hearn also promoted Chaminade.
Sierra Canyon 5, Loyola 4: The Trailblazers improved to 7-0 and won it with a leadoff single by Ethan Munoz in the seventh. He had a home run and four RBIs.
Huntington Beach 6, Gahr 3: After a 1-4 start, the Oilers have announced who they will be hearing from, which is No. 3 seed Gahr teeing off. Aidan Espinoza and Colby Turner each had two hits.
La Serna 1, California 0: Nick Williams hit eight and gave up two for La Serna.
Edison 1, Capistrano Valley 0: It took the Chargers 11 innings to win.
Arcadia 2, Pasadena 1: Ian Hoffstetter hit nine in seven innings. The Apaches won it in eighth place on a Ben Cooper goal.
Servite 8, San Dimas 3: Roman Martin hit two homeruns and finished with three hits and four RBI’s for Servite.
Maranatha 10, Tal Christian 3: Brothers Eric and Dylan Zdunek delivered six hits to lead Maranatha.
Simital 8, Moorpark 0: The Pioneers clinched the win behind Matthew Cuccias, who hit six hits in five scoreless innings.
soft ball
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 12, Golden Valley 2: Charley Tapia, Ellayne Tellez-Perez, Alexa Miranda and Ella Parker hit home runs for the Knights.
Source: LA Times
Robert Happel is an author and sports journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep passion for sports and a talent for analyzing the latest developments in the world of athletics. With a unique perspective and a wealth of knowledge on the subject, Robert has become a respected voice in the field of sports journalism.
