La Palma, CA — Life is always presenting new challenges. What happens today may be the exact opposite of what is coming tomorrow. If one is to survive and thrive, they must be ready to adapt to whatever may be thrown at them and always find a new way to overcome. Kennedy Baseball is a lot like life! Last Friday, the Irish unleashed a 17 hit, 15 run attack that blew their opponent away. On Tuesday, they managed only 5 hits and pushed across only 2 runs, both by way of bases loaded walks. But, as they have done all year, they found a way to overcome. After defeating Mayfair last week 15-4, Kennedy found themselves in the 2nd round of CIF playoffs along with the other 15 teams that had made it to the “Sweet 16.” The Carter Lions from Rialto were their guests in their quest to go deeper into the post-season. From the start, it was evident that the day was going to be a pitching duel. Sam Moctezuma took the mound against the Carter left-hander, Ryan Rias. Moctezuma turned the first 9 batters away in order and through 6 innings, had allowed only 2 batters to reach base on one hit without allowing a run. Rias kept pace by shutting out Kennedy until the 5th. In that inning, back to back singles by Evan Anderson and Chase Leonard and a nice sacrifice bunt by Albert Munoz, put runners in scoring position with two outs. Johnny Soto drew a walk to load the bases and Wyatt Johnson came to the plate. Johnson, who has played a vital role in knocking in runs for the Irish this season, did so once again. But not in his normal way. He drew a 2 out walk which pushed the run across. Kennedy clung to this narrow lead until the top of the final inning when the first 4 Carter hitters reached base safely. Sebastian McSherry eliminated one of those runners when he threw out an attempted steal. But, with one out, Carter had loaded the bases. It looked as if Moctezuma might pitch out of the jam when he got the next hitter to pop up weakly to Tyler Beckler at 3rd base. But then, after working the count full to the next hitter, he let one get away, hitting the batter and forcing in the tying run. With the potential winning run now standing at 3rd base, Coach Tom Monahan elected to stay with his starter to try and keep the game tied. Moctezuma, who was visibly tired, put the final topping on one of the finest pitched games of the year by striking out the final Carter batter. The scene was now set for the decisive bottom of the 7th. If you were told that the Irish would be turned away without a hit in the inning, you would justifiably assume that the game was headed for extra innings. But that is not what took place. With one out, Munoz drew a walk, Soto reached by way of a fielder’s choice and Johnson got on board by using his speed to force an errant throw. McSherry coaxed a second walk and now the bases were full with Tyler Beckler striding to the plate. Beckler, who made an important diving catch in the 4th to stifle a potential Carter rally, had battled to full counts in each of his previous at bats. This time he worked for a final walk off walk and the game was over. The 2-1 Kennedy victory was the first time in memory that all the runs in the game were scored by walks or hit batters. Sam Moctezuma was the man of the day. He allowed only one run on 4 hits, while striking out 7 in his complete game victory. It was an outstanding and dominating performance. Chase Leonard collected 2 hits for the Irish while Johnny Soto, Jason May, and Evan Anderson had one each. Jaelyn Edds continued his hot-hitting post-season streak by adding a single in the 2nd inning. The Irish now prepare to face Loara High School on Friday.