Corona baseball team captures Boras Classic South title with 8-3 win against La Mirada, which prevents top-ranked Panthers from tying state record for consecutive shutouts

La Mirada demonstrated again Friday that it is the only lineup thus far capable of manufacturing any offense against the Corona High baseball team.

But the top-ranked Panthers continued to showcase how dominant they can be, especially against the elite programs in Southern California.

Although the Matadores prevented Corona from its pursuit of tying the state record for most consecutive shutouts by scoring in each of the final two innings, the Panthers provided all the necessary offense early in the contest, securing an 8-3 victory in the final of the Boras Classic South championship at JSerra High.

Corona (11-0), which extended its winning streak to 19 in a row including last year, captured its first Boras Classic South title in program history and will meet the champion of the Northern California bracket – scheduled for April 14-17 at Army Depot Park in Sacramento – on a date to be determined in late April to decide the overall state winner.

Following a 10-1 victory March 4 against La Mirada (10-2) in the final of the Perfect Game SoCal Showdown, Corona recorded six consecutive shutouts, including victories against Gahr, Santa Margarita and JSerra to reach Friday’s final.

Pleasant Valley of Chico produced seven straight shutouts in 1967, with El Camino of San Francisco matching the feat with seven in a row in 1977. Only one program, Winters High in 1994, had even reached six consecutive shutouts before Corona’s recent streak.

After Jason Gerfers (2-0) had shut down La Mirada for the first five innings, Aiden Aguayo halted Corona’s streak without allowing a run in 49 consecutive innings by delivering a one-out RBI single in the sixth to score Justin Torres.

Aguayo also collected the first hit against Gerfers with a one-out double in the fourth.

Travis Friend, who provided the lone offense for La Mirada in the first meeting March 4 with a home run in the fifth inning, drove in Noah Rodriguez for the second run Friday with an RBI groundout in the sixth.

Only El Camino achieved a longer streak in state history than Corona by holding opponents scoreless for 56 straight innings in 1977.

Gavin Flores pitched the seventh for the Panthers, with La Mirada scoring an unearned run following a dropped fly ball by Corona.

Billy Carlson, who contributed a three-run homer in the first matchup against the Matadores, added another three-run shot in the first inning Friday, hitting the first pitch from La Mirada junior left-hander Noah Dabela over the left-field fence.

Billy Carlson of Corona baseball team celebrates three-run homer in first inning against La Mirada | Photo courtesy of Boras Classic

Carlson added a double and scored three runs Friday, following three hits and five RBIs in the first showdown against the Matadores.

An unearned run following a La Mirada error in the second extended the Corona lead to 4-0, Carlson increased the advantage to 5-0 in the third, scoring on a Jesiah Andrade groundout following his leadoff double to right.

Two additional La Mirada errors contributed to three more Panthers runs in the fourth.

Gerfers struck out three and didn’t walk a batter in six innings for Corona, with Flores striking out a batter and walking two in his inning of relief.

Joshua Sur had two hits and drove in a run for the Panthers, with Seth Hernandez scoring twice, Trey Ebel delivering an RBI, in addition to Adrian Ruiz and Anthony Murphy both collecting doubles.

Corona has outscored opponents 68-4 entering a Big VIII League series Monday against Martin Luther King, before returning April 9-12 to Cary, N.C., in an attempt to repeat as champion at the National High School Invitational.

The Panthers could face La Mirada for a third time if both teams potentially advance to the semifinals of the 16-team tournament at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.