La Palma, CA — The Kennedy Fighting Irish entered the final game of the Santa Ana Elks Tournament Wednesday afternoon with hopes of continuing their strong season and bringing home a championship. But their opponent in the final game was formidable. San Gorgonio brought a 15-3 record into the game along with a 10 game winning streak. They had outscored their opponents 20-6 in the 3 previous tournament games. Kennedy had their own winning streak of 8 games and had been playing strong baseball, but they had been forced to scrap for each win in the tournament. They Edged Estancia and Los Altos by a run each (the Estancia game going 10 innings), and the Covina game had been a see-saw battle that saw 19 runs cross the plate between the two teams. So the Irish knew their work was cut out for them. Both teams threatened in the first inning but came away empty handed. A fine throw by left fielder Jason May and a diving tag by catcher Sebastian McSherry at the plate cut short the Spartans first inning. Kennedy then loaded the bases themselves but were also denied. In the second, Kennedy’s pitcher Wyatt Johnson found his rhythm and retired the side with a weak popup and 2 strikeouts. He proceeded to retire a total of 8 batters in a row, seemingly growing stronger as the game progressed. 5 of his 9 strikeouts came in the last 3 innings, including the final two outs of the game. When the Irish came to bat in the second, Jaelyn Edds got things going with a one-out single, his fifth hit of the tournament. Evan Anderson drew a walk and Jason May reached on an error, forcing in the first run of the game. Chase Leonard singled up the middle to drive home Anderson and Albert Munoz hit a sacrifice fly to score May. Finally, Johnson drove in Leonard and the Irish had a commanding 4-0 lead. In the fourth inning, May was hit by a pitch and balked into scoring position, but seem destined to die there as the next two batters flew out to left. But Johnny Soto, who seems to deliver a clutch hit every time he walks to the plate, singled him home with the Kennedy’s 5th run. It was all that Johnson needed. He pitched 7 strong innings, allowing 6 hits and shutting the strong San Gorgonio offense out with no runs, striking out 9 Spartan batters along the way. For good measure, he had an RBI and went 2-2 at the plate for an outstanding all around performance. The Tournament Championship is a significant accomplishment for a team that continues to show improvement in every facet of their game. Their win streak of 9 games now brings their overall record to 17-5. They play a make-up doubleheader Saturday at Canyon Hills, the first game beginning at 10am. Their league schedule begins anew next Wednesday, April 10, against Tustin on the Kennedy field.