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Community Corner

Monrovia Baseball Loses 3-0 in Semifinals

The Wildcats' championship hopes were dashed Tuesday night in a 3-0 loss to Palm Desert.

The baseball team fell to Palm Desert 3-0 in the CIF-SS Division 4 semifinals Tuesday night.

Palm Desert pitcher Brian Serven threw a three-hit shutout, and drove in two runs at the plate, as Palm Desert beat visiting Monrovia High 3-0 to earn a third straight trip to the CIF Division 4 Baseball Championship Game. They will face Temple City, which took down St. Bonaventure Tuesday to clinch its own championship berth.

Serven, a junior, once again came up big in the post-season, firing a three-hit shutout, and driving in two runs with a booming double in the Aztec third inning.

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"It's probalby the biggest game we've had all year," Serven said. "It felt good to help the team like I could. It's just a great feeling playing in a big game like this and going back to the Championship game."

Palm Desert got to Wildcat starter Chris Burkholder in the third inning by playing small ball. With Chris Drake on second base after a single and a sacrifice bunt, the top of the order came around do to the damage.

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Senior Jonathan Serven smacked a single up the middle and off the glove of diving shortstop David Perez that allowed Drake to score the game's first run. 

Two batters later, USC-bound senior Brooks Kriske drew a walk before Brian Serven's booming double to left that brought home his brother and Kriske for a 3-0 lead that would be more than enough.

Monrovia's best scoring chance came in the 5th inning, when Chris Burkholder drilled a leadoff single and promptly stole second base. With one out, Brad Felty's base hit  to shallow right got Burkholder to third. Sophomore Nick Carino tried then to squeeze Burkholder home, but the bunt was hit hard to charging third baseman Jacob Clark who easly gunned down Burkholder.

The Wildcats' finish the season with a 19-7 record.

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