Prep baseball: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Harvard-Westlake, Norco advance in Division 1

Finals week began at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, but baseball preparation continued for a Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal playoff against Corona. Malakye Matsomoto completed an art class final before the game and contributed offensively with a double and triple, three RBIs, and multiple defensive plays at third base, plus one inning of relief pitching. Notre Dame’s atmosphere was intense, with fans filling bleachers and watching from nearby floors. Corona threatened in the fourth inning with bases loaded, but AJ LaSota delivered consecutive strikeouts to end the inning. Lachlan Clark entered in the sixth with one out and the bases loaded, secured the win, and expressed excitement for the semifinal at Norco.

"Malakye Matsomoto, the Knights' talented baseball player, had one final on Friday before taking on Corona in a Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal playoff game. It was in art class. Nothing against art, but much better than advanced placement calculus. "I'm good planning ahead," he said. He's also multi-talented on the diamond, hitting a double and triple, getting three RBIs, making several tough plays at third base and pitching one inning in relief during a 7-2 victory over the Panthers."

"The atmosphere on Friday at Notre Dame was electric. It was standing-room only in the bleachers and fans watching from the parking lot on the second and third floors. The biggest moment came in the fourth inning when Corona loaded the bases looking to get back into the game down 4-0. That's when pitcher AJ LaSota came through with consecutive strikeouts to end the inning and charged into the dugout so pumped he almost knocked over a teammate."

"Notre Dame (23-8) went through a six-game losing streak in April, creating uncertainty and skepticism from outsiders. But Matsomoto said he knew they were still a good team. "A lot of people lost hope in our team," he said. "I didn't." Lachlan Clark came in to pitch with one out and the bases loaded in the sixth and finished off the victory. He pitches every game as if it's the Little League World Series and can't wait to start against Norco on Tuesday."

""Fire me up," he said. "I love this sport. It's my whole life. These are my brothers. I'm fighting for them." It will be Notre Dame's first road game of the playoffs. "I'm better on the road," Clark said. Don't know if he was joking or not. Norco 3,"

Read at Los Angeles Times