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    El Dorado baseball clinches playoff spot with victory over Foothill
    • April 28, 2023

    PLACENTIA – As El Dorado pitcher AJ Frausto said, “It was make it or break it.”

    El Dorado made it to the playoffs by beating Foothill 4-0 in a Crestview League baseball game Thursday, the final day of the regular season for both teams.

    A solo home run by El Dorado junior center fielder Isaac Cadena in the bottom of the fifth inning broke up a scoreless tie.

    Frausto, a junior right-hander, threw a complete game.

    The Golden Hawks finished second in the league (4-2 league record), and Villa Park won the league championship. The top two finishers in a four-team league like the Crestview are guaranteed berths in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

    The playoff brackets will be released Monday at 10 a.m.

    Frausto scattered five hits over his seven innings. He struck out nine, gave up one walk and hit one batter. .

    Foothill senior right-hander Andrew Parker held El Dorado hitless through four innings, facing the minimum 12 batters. Then Cadena entered the lefty-hitter’s box to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning and launched the first pitch he saw over the right-center field fence.

    “I was actually looking for a fastball,” Cadena said, “and he came in and he just hung a curveball.”

    Two outs later Lucas Raya singled. He scored on Brady Abner’s double into the right-center field gap for a 2-0 lead.

    El Dorado, No. 10 in the Orange County Top 25,  scored its other two runs with two outs in the sixth inning. Evan Rolbiecki was hit by a pitch and scored on Cadena’s triple into that right-center field gap. Cadena scored on an error to make it 4-0.

    Frausto’s fastball had as much pop in the seventh inning, when he struck out two Knights, as it did in the first inning.

    “I knew what I was going to get from AJ,” said El Dorado coach Matt Lucas. “He’s one of our best competitors.”

    So competitive that when Lucas visited the mound with two outs in the seventh, Frausto was adamant about finishing the game.

    “I told him, ‘Come on, man, I’m not taking you out of this game,’” Lucas said. “‘I’m just giving you a little breather.’ And AJ was saying ‘I’m ready to go! Lets go, lets go!’”

    Frausto understood the importance of Thursday’s game.

    “Getting the ball, I knew I had to come out and do my thing,” Frausto said. “I was very happy that I stayed consistent in all my innings.”

    County No. 12 Foothill, which beat El Dorado 10-2 on Tuesday, had its best chance to score in the second inning.

    Parker hit a one-out single, advanced to second base on an errant pick-off throw to first and moved to third on Brian Harbour’s single. Ezekiel Vargas laid down a bunt that was fielded quickly by El Dorado first baseman Abner who slung the ball to catcher Raya in plenty of time to tag out Parker.

    Foothill went 3-6 in league, as did El Modena. Because El Modena won two of its three games against Foothill, El Modena is the league’s No. 3 representative and Foothill is No. 4.

    Foothill, a CIF-SS Division 1 team, is 14-14 overall, so it has the .500-or-better record required to be considered for an at-large playoff berth.

    El Modena, a CIF-SS Division 2 team, went 14-12-1 overall and meets the criteria for an at-large berth.

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    ​ Orange County Register 

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