For the fourth year in a row, the Triton Baseball team secured a spot in the postseason, but this year had to travel far in the first round as they made their way up to Lancaster to take on the Quartz Hill Royals in the first round of the CIF-SS Divison 6 Playoffs. 

Sophomore Blake Hayes collected three hits in four at bats, as the Pacifica Christian Tritons defeated the Royals 6-2 on Friday. Hayes singled in the sixth inning, singled in the first inning, and singled in the fifth inning. 

A double by Scout Escobedo put the Orange and Navy on the board in the top of the first. The Tritons would go on to give up two runs in the bottom of the first to the Royals. But in the top of the fourth, the Tritons scored on a passed ball with the bases loaded to tie things back up at two a piece. A walk by Johnny Coopman gave the Orange and Navy the lead, 3-2, in the top of the fifth.

Junior Jon Stone earned the win for Tritons. The righty surrendered three hits and two runs over four and two-thirds innings, striking out seven and walking one. Coopman threw two and one-third innings of zero-run ball for the squad in relief. Coopman gave up zero hits, striking out three and walking two. Pacifica Christian had nine hits in the game. Escobedo collected two hits for the Tritons in three at bats. Hayes stole two bases.

The Tritons will now host John Muir High School out of Pasadena on Tuesday May 20th in the second round. Muir beat Rio Hondo Prep 3-1 at home in their first round game and enters the game 17-9 going 6-8 in the Pacific League. The only common opponent between Muir and the Tritons is Western Christian where the Mustanges won 7-3 and the Tritons won two out of three games against the Lancers. First pitch will be at 3:15pm at OCC.