Arlington baseball edges Hart to grab a spot in Division III regional final
RIVERSIDE – Jake Khasaempanth had enough left in the tank to get four outs in the last inning.
Jack Kleveno drove in an early run, and Khasaempanth made it stand up with a three-hitter as Arlington baseball defeated Newhall Hart 1-0 in a CIF Southern California Regional Division III semifinal game.
“I’m dead tired but it’s good. It’s good to get the win,” said Khasaempanth, who finished on 113 pitches.
Khasaempanth struck out eight and made a key defensive play in the seventh inning to help secure the win for Arlington (23-12 overall), which moves on to play San Diego Granite Hills in the championship game Saturday.
“Jake continues to give us stellar performances and there have been times we haven’t hit for the guy, but he practically got four outs in the last inning and we’re really happy for him,” Arlington coach Tim Kleveno said.
Massimo Vega started for Hart (22-4) but pitched only one inning after experiencing tightness in his back. He allowed a leadoff triple to Arlington’s Jayden Sanchez and Kleveno’s RBI single among four hits in the first inning and did not return after getting three outs.
Jake Villar entered and pitched six shutout innings to keep the Indians in the game, scattering just three hits before completely quieting Arlington’s bats over the final two innings.
“(Vega) wasn’t cutting loose (and) was holding back a little, so we brought in Jake and he pitched his butt off. He was spinning his breaking ball (but) the other guy (Khasaempanth) did a good job,” Hart coach James Ozella said. “(Khasaempanth) threw some in the dirt and we chased. He mixed it up and was sharp.”
Khasaempanth, who last started for Arlington in the Lions’ 2-0 loss to Long Beach Millikan in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 title game, gave up only three singles over the first four innings before getting 1-2-3 frames in the fifth and sixth.
“His slider sits 81-82 (mph) and it’s the best pitch. Guys think it’s a fastball and it just drops off,” Jack Kleveno said. “When Jake’s slider is going you know it’s going to be a good day.”
The 6-foot-2 junior right-hander got a swinging third strike from Hart’s Robert Plante to start the seventh inning, but the ball skipped away from Kleveno and Plante reached first base.
Hunter Pohl struck out swinging for the first out before pinch hitter Zachary Kukreja worked a walk to put two runners on.
Tyler Vannix followed with a sacrifice bunt down the line that Khasaempanth sprinted to grab bare-handed. The pitcher picked the ball up cleanly and whipped a side-arm throw to first base that beat Vannix by a half step for the second out.
“He had to make a great defensive play in order to get to that bunt – Tyler is a very good bunter – and his throw was on the mark,” Ozella said.
With runners at second and third after the bunt, Khasaempanth went to a quick 0-2 count against Hart’s No. 9 hitter Kyle Thompson before getting a swinging strike to end the game.
“I feel tired. It was challenging at the end but I just had to attack,” Khasaempanth said.
It’s the second time an Arlington pitcher has tossed a three-hitter this week. Sophomore Andrew Rudd hurled a shutout in the Lions’ 7-0 win over San Diego Point Loma in the regional quarterfinals on Tuesday.
“(Rudd) did a great job on only 88 pitches. He was commanding,” Khasaempanth said.
It’s the second loss in a semifinal this postseason for Hart, which lost 2-1 to Millikan in the CIF-SS Division 3 semifinals.
“We lost in the semis on a great defensive play from Millikan’s shortstop, and it took another great play to beat us here,” Ozella said. “It’s a tough loss and it’s tough to lose a game when it matters. It hurts.”