By John Maffei
Point Loma High School’s dynamic pitching duo Marviel Underwood and Luis Lara allowed just one unearned run as the third-seeded Pointers upset No. 1 seed Rancho Bernardo 3-1 to win the CIF San Diego Section Division I baseball championship on May 31 before a full house at the University of San Diego’s Fowler Park.
That came just four days after they combined to pitch 10 shutout innings May 27 in a 1-0 win against Cathedral Catholic.
Next stop for the Pointers — the Southern California Regional quarterfinals, where they’ll be the sixth seed in Division II and play at No. 3 El Camino Real of Woodland Hills at 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 3.
“They’re excited to represent our school and San Diego,” Point Loma head coach Rigo Ledezma said as his team celebrated its section title by chanting “State, state, state!”
Underwood started against Rancho Bernardo and allowed just the one unearned run in five innings. He hit the leadoff hitter to start the sixth and Ledezma summoned Lara from the bullpen.
“I found out Friday that I was starting,” Underwood said. “The coaches came to me and said the game was in my hands. No problem. No pressure with the defense I have behind me. Big games come down to the smallest things, and we made plays. The adrenaline was flowing. The atmosphere here was amazing.”
Lara, who worked six shutout innings May 27, this time worked out of a jam in the sixth inning against Rancho Bernardo and set down the side in order in the seventh.
“Just being able to back up my guy Marv, just being able to throw strikes, was definitely one of the main things I’ve been focusing on,” Lara said.
“I knew Marv had like a little shoulder thing happen, but I know he has been pushing hard. I know he has been working hard every single day, even at practice, always running and putting his heart out, so I know he really deserved this win.”
Druw Frost was the hitting star for Point Loma. He was hit by a pitch and scored in the first inning and singled and drove in a run in the Pointers’ two-run fifth inning.
Point Loma was without three top players much of the season — pitcher Matthew Garrison, infielder Branden Keeling and catcher Cole Williams.
“The way our guys responded to adversity was amazing,” Ledezma said. “Cathedral Catholic swept us in the last round of league play. Then we shut them out twice in the playoffs. We played without some key guys. Even Marviel wasn’t feeling all that great today. But they never quit. Showed up at practice every day. Worked hard. And they got it done.”
— Point Loma-OB Monthly staff contributed to this report.
