“We have been able to hit the ball pretty well this year,” said Flintridge Prep Coach Buzz Cook, whose team had 12 hits. “But the great thing this season is we finally have the pitching to go along with the hitting.”
That pitching weighed heavily on Cook’s mind Tuesday in the wake of his team having to play back-to-back Prep League games against Rio Hondo Prep Thursday and Saturday.
Not wanting to use up some of his key pitchers — pitchers he might need later this week — in a nonleague game, the coach employed six hurlers against the Pioneers.
“We were able to get some pitchers in there who haven’t had a lot of work this season,” Cook said. “I told some of the guys before the game that I would try to get them in to pitch an inning or so.”
Although his Pioneers (5-4) were able to score 41 runs in their previous three games, Providence Coach Nick Rondon wasn’t surprised that his team only accounted for four against the Rebels (8-3).
“We haven’t had any problem scoring runs this season,” he said. “But we were a little out of sync [Tuesday]. We’ve been off for Easter break and we haven’t practiced since last Wednesday. I think that hurt us.”
Flintridge Prep wasted little time getting to Providence starter Devin Pugliese, touching up the right-hander for seven runs in the first three innings.
The Rebels scored three in the first on base hits by Will Peterman and Nick Ostiller, a run-scoring single by Connor McCann and a run-scoring groundout by Aaron Fried.
A triple by Fried in the second inning scored Ostiller and McCann to give the Rebels a five-run lead.
McCann was three for four with a run batted in and two runs scored and teammate Ben Slyngstad was two for three with an inside-the-park home run and three RBI.
Flintridge Prep went up, 7-0, with two runs in the third.
The Pioneers were finally able to get on the board with three runs in the fourth, spearheaded by a run-scoring groundout by Jake Johnson and an RBI-single by Oscar Urzua.
Slyngstad’s big blast scored three runs for the Rebels in the fourth. The team added a run in the fifth.
Providence’s other run was scored by Jose Duran in the sixth inning on a wild pitch.
Anthony Scott was two for three with a triple and a run scored and Alex Murillo was two for three for Providence.
GRANT GORDON is the sports editor. He can be reached at (818) 637-3225 or grant.gordon@latimes.com.
