Celebrating Gahr players greet Julian Lucero (4) after the junior scored one of four fifth inning runs in the Gladiators’ 10-0 win over La Salle on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoffs in Cerritos. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Gahr junior Bryce Morrison scores one of Gahr’s five runs in the fourth inning in the Gladiators’ 10-0 win over La Salle on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the first round of a CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoff game in Cerritos. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
La Salle junior Drew Ward bats in the fifth inning against Gahr on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoffs in Cerritos. The Lancers managed only two hits a a 10-0 loss. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Gahr senior Jake Curneen is pumped up after scoring the first Galdiators’ run of the game in the third inning against La Salle on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoffs in Cerritos. Gahr went on to score nine more runs in the 10-0 victory. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Gahr junior Jake Ourique delivers a pitch in the Gladiators’ 10-0 win over La Salle on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoffs in Cerritos. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
La Salle players have little to cheer for in a 10-0 loss to Gahr on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoffs in Cerritos. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Gahr junior Jake Ourique delivers a pitch in the Gladiators’ 10-0 win over La Salle on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoffs in Cerritos. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
La Salle’s Pete Callihan has his shoulder looked at by a trainer after the senior jammed it while sliding back to first base on a Gahr pickoff attempt in the second inning on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoffs in Cerritos. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
La Salle players have little to cheer for in a 10-0 loss to Gahr on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoffs in Cerritos. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Gahr first baseman Bryce Morrison follows through on his two-run double in the fifth inning against La Salle on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoffs in Cerritos. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Gahr pitcher Jake Ourique makes no secret about his intention to bunt as he bats in the fifth inning against La Salle on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoffs in Cerritos. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
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Celebrating Gahr players greet Julian Lucero (4) after the junior scored one of four fifth inning runs in the Gladiators’ 10-0 win over La Salle on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 baseball playoffs in Cerritos. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
CERRITOS – Six shutout innings from starter Jake Ourique and two big offensive innings helped Gahr’s baseball team defeat La Salle 10-0 in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs Friday.
Junior right-hander Ourique was sensational on the mound for the Gladiators (17-12), who will face Etiwanda in the second round of the playoffs Tuesday.
He stifled the Lancers’ bats through six scoreless innings, struck out eight and surrendered just one hit. He retired 15 consecutive batters over the last five innings pitched.
Gahr High starter @ourique_jake was dominant with 6 shutout innings allowing just 1 hit and 8 Ks as Gladiators get Division 2 first round win over La Salle @SoCalVarsity @BeachVarsity @GahrBaseballl pic.twitter.com/oFPUmBjhqy
— Chris Camello (@Chris_Camello) May 17, 2025
“The fastball wasn’t the best today, but I had to utilize the change-up,” Ourique said about his outing. “I (worked on) the cutter this week so I added that a couple of times, and the slider was really big for me. Big on the change-up today.”
Gahr coach Gerardo Perez was impressed with Ourique’s performance and thought he mixed his pitch repertoire well in the game.
“He had a good mix early,” Perez said. “I think early on they tried to cheat on his fastball, they were fastball ready. And he started mixing it up, which is what he really does anyway. He’s pretty effective doing those things and spotting up.
“I think it made it real difficult for them to be able to do that. He got into a little groove in the second inning and there was no turning back.”
Gahr head coach Gerardo Perez talks about the Gladiators 10-0 win over La Salle, the great performance of @ourique_jake, Adrien Ramirez’s 3-run triple, and taking advantage of Lancers mistakes in their Division 2 first round win ⚾️ @SoCalVarsity @BeachVarsity @GahrBaseballl pic.twitter.com/7wJLBw8UzO
— Chris Camello (@Chris_Camello) May 17, 2025
Gahr was leading 1-0 going into the fourth inning and it broke the game open by scoring five runs against Lancers starter Nico Armendariz.
The right-hander had pitched well through the first three innings, but the Gladiators finally had him figured out in the bottom of the fourth inning.
With runners at the corners, Gahr shortstop Julian Lucero hit a bloop single near second base that dropped in, allowing Oscar Grijalva to score from third.
Leadoff hitter Andres Gonzalez hit an RBI double to center field to plate pinch-runner Alexander Brown.
After Bryce Morrison was intentionally walked to load the bases and Taison Miller popped out to center field, clean-up hitter Adrien Ramirez stepped in with the bases loaded for the second time in the game.
He popped up to first base the first time up, but made sure that didn’t happen again. Ramirez ripped a triple down the right field line, clearing the bases to give Gahr a 6-0 lead and chasing Armendariz from the game.
Armendariz surrendered six earned runs on eight hits through 3.2 innings with four walks and one strikeout.
Gahr LF Adrien Ramirez went 2 for 4 with a 3-run triple to cap off a 5 run 4th inning and talks about making up for leaving the bases loaded earlier in the game and defeating La Salle in Division 2 first round win @SoCalVarsity @BeachVarsity @GahrBaseballl pic.twitter.com/3yon2gVjUM
— Chris Camello (@Chris_Camello) May 17, 2025
“I came with an approach knowing that the fastball is going to come with a 3-1 count,” Ramirez said of his three-run triple. “I sat back and drove it down the line.”
Gahr scored four unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks in part to three defensive errors by the Lancers, who had trouble fielding the Gladiators’ bunt attempts.
Lucero’s safety squeeze bunt allowed Grijalva to score from third on an error by first baseman Andrew Klein. Gahr scored another run on a fielding error by shortstop Travis Ochoa.
Morrison, who was intentionally walked twice and hit by a pitch, got a chance to swing the bat and hit a two-run double that gave Gahr a 10-0 lead.