Bell claims the City Section Open Division baseball title over Birmingham

Get ready for a parade and maybe some keys to the city.

A group of teenage baseball players from Bell High made history Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, winning the school’s first City Section Open Division championship with a 4-1 defeat of defending champion Birmingham.

Sophomore Jayden Rojas, embracing the pressure and significance of pitching on his dream field, threw six shutout innings. His most impressive moment came in the sixth inning, when Birmingham loaded the bases with no outs on a hit batter, an error and a single bunt. Rojas escaped by getting a strikeout on a 3-2 pitch and two fly-ball outs. As he walked off the mound, he was surrounded by excited teammates and fans chanting, “MVP, MVP, MVP.”

“They’re a good team that fights and doesn’t give up,” Birmingham coach Matt Mowry said. “When the pressure was on, they didn’t fold.”

What a pitching duel it was, with Birmingham’s Michael Figueroa opposite Rojas. Figueroa’s command and ability to throw strikes gave the Eagles few opportunities through five innings of a scoreless game.

Their best chance came in the second inning when a pinch runner attempted to score from second on a ground ball off the glove of first baseman Trevor Sostman. Sostman was able to recover, pick up the ball and make the throw to catcher Nick Penaranda in time to get out of the plate.

Then, in the sixth, with two outs, Gustavo Ramirez reached on an infield single, just beating Figueroa’s throw. He moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by David Gonzalez, who also drove in the only run for Bell in its 1-0 semifinal win over Granada Hills. The Eagles added three runs in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk and a two-run single by Ramirez.

Meanwhile, Rojas’ poise showed throughout. Every time he got a third out to keep his scoreless streak alive, he came off the mound waving his fist. The 15-year-old is a big Dodgers fan and said earlier in the week that his dream was to pitch at Dodger Stadium.

His execution and efficiency have already marked him as one of the best pitchers in the City Section. And he had two hits on Saturday. He came off the mound in the seventh after a preliminary walk to a standing ovation from the Bell fans. Another sophomore, Rigoberto Baltazar, finished off the Patriots.

Gonzalez, a sophomore, delivered two RBI singles this week.

“I just love it,” he said. “You have to live for it.”

Bell pitchers allowed one run in playoff wins against Sylmar, Granada Hills and Birmingham. The Eagles all week refused to be intimidated, making routine plays and getting stellar play at catcher from Nomar Solis. It was the defense and pitching that helped the Eagles beat the best teams in the San Fernando Valley.

For Bell, his historic season built on a talented group of students won’t soon be forgotten. Yes, the Eagles have been to the finals before – winning Division III in 1987 – but they hadn’t been to a top division final since 1953. These players showed poise, fight and fearlessness when facing players more appreciate the prompt programs as well. by coach Frank Medina, who used to coach football and was passionate and relentless in pushing his players to succeed.

The team is full of freshmen and sophomores. They get to play in the state regionals with a record of 22-6.

“I would love a parade,” Gonzalez said.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.