Central shuts out Mar Vista Mariners to advance in Division IV playoffs

Spartans march continue into playoffs

EL CENTRO, Calif (KYMA) - The Central Spartans opened the CIF San Diego Section Division 4 baseball playoffs with a dominant performance Tuesday, defeating the Mar Vista Mariners 6-0 at Central High School to advance to the second round.

Third-seeded Central relied on strong pitching and timely hitting to secure the shutout victory over the Mariners.

Freddy Terrazas got the start on the mound for the Spartans and delivered a solid outing, recording four strikeouts while keeping the Mar Vista lineup off balance throughout the afternoon.

Central struck first in the bottom of the opening inning when Christopher Curiel ripped a ball into the gap that rolled to the wall, allowing Angel Carrillo to score easily from second base. Curiel slid safely into third with an RBI triple to give the Spartans an early 1-0 lead.

The Spartans continued to apply pressure offensively while their defense kept the Mariners in check.

In the fourth inning, Mar Vista cut down a potential stolen base when catcher Ayden Pendergraft fired a throw to second baseman Kai Landry for the out. However, Central responded immediately in the next at-bat.

Curiel came back to the plate and delivered again, this time launching a solo home run over the wall to extend the Spartans’ lead to 2-0.

Central pulled away from there and finished off the 6-0 victory to continue its postseason run.

After the game, Central coach Gene Martin said competing in the Imperial Valley League helped prepare his team for playoff baseball.

“I think it helps us because we have to compete, and the only way you get better in anything is playing better opponents,” Martin said. “If you play teams that you can run right through, you get no better, but if you play a team that’s tougher than you or makes you work, it helps you grow.”

Martin added that the challenges throughout league play helped the Spartans improve over the course of the season.

“We’ve grown a lot, especially in this league because we have a lot of good teams,” Martin said. “The boys came out and fought. Sometimes we fell short, but there were times we were in the game and battled, so I think that helped us out a lot.”

On Friday, Central beat Foothills Christian in a thrilling 11-9 win to punch their ticket to the semfinals.

Because of the double-elimination format, the Spartans will host the Knights once again on Tuesday.