Prep sports roundup: Quentin Young powers Oaks Christian baseball to season-opening win

When it comes to teenagers who look the part of a future major leaguer, Quentin Young of Oaks Christian comes to mind. Besides being 6 feet 6 and 225 pounds, he can throw from shortstop to first with extreme velocity. Then there’s his strength.

It was opening day on Monday, and with the count at 3-and-0 in the first inning at Cleveland, Young sent a slider that didn’t break over the left-field fence with a moonshot that left everyone in awe.

“It was very fun,” he said. “I was waiting for a good pitch.”

Oaks Christian went on to secure a 5-3 victory over the Cavaliers by scoring two runs in the seventh behind an RBI single from James Latshaw and a sacrifice fly from Jack Brinkman. It was the first victory for new coach Rick Hirtensteiner, the former Pepperdine coach.

Cleveland had much to like despite the loss. Sophomore pitcher Otis Bush struck out five in three innings. The Cavaliers successfully bunted four times. Sebastian Castaneda and Joshua Pearlstein had clutch hits. Oaks Christian certainly showed off a top closer in junior Connor Sahagun, who struck out six in three innings of relief.

Young, who turns 18 in April, re-classified to become a senior this season to make himself draft eligible. He’s playing shortstop for the first time after playing third last season and loves his new position. He’s prepared to deal with lots of intentional and unintentional walks. “I’m not going to get a lot of good pitches,” he said.

He’s the nephew of former major leaguers Delmon and Dmitri Young. Both continue to monitor his progress and give him tips for his mental approach to the game.

When he does get a pitch to hit, just watch where the ball goes after he swings. It’s a sight to behold.

Agoura 7, Hart 2: Donovan Anthony struck out seven with no walks and Tiger Ibanez had two hits and two RBIs for the Chargers.

Bishop Amat 5, Charter Oak 0: Levi Altamirano had a home run and Izaac Muniz struck out seven in 6 2/3 innings scoreless innings.

Chaminade 9, Hueneme 0: Eli Stephens struck out six in four innings and contributed two hits and three RBIs for the Eagles. Jackson Tyler went three for three.

St. Francis 2, Rio Mesa 1: Jordan Lewallen, a four-year starter, had two hits for St. Francis.

Crespi 7, Granada Hills 2: Jackson Eisenhauer struck out nine in five innings for the Celts.

Loyola 6, North Torrance 3: Luca Marucci had a two-run double to ignite the Cubs.

Bishop Alemany 7, San Marcos 4: Julian Martin threw five scoreless innings and Jayden Lusk hit a two-run home run to give coach Randy Thompson a win in his second stint as head coach.

Valencia 3, Birmingham 2: The Vikings scored three runs in the first inning and made it hold up. Isaac Monterrubio had three of Birmingham’s 10 hits.

West Ranch 9, La Canada 7: Miles Topping had a home run and three RBIs for West Ranch.

Chatsworth 3, Newbury Park 1: Michael Guerrero struck out 11 in a complete game and Caleb Reclusado went two for two to lead Chatsworth.

Santa Barbara 1, El Camino Real 0: Tanner Wilson threw four shutout innings for Santa Barbara. Devin Gonor allowed no runs in five innings for El Camino Real. Santa Barbara won on a passed ball in the eighth.

Calabasas 10, Santa Paula 2: Matthew Witkow had a home run, double and single, and Luc Olson struck out six in five innings for Calabasas.

South Hills 1, Walnut 0: Elias Reyes stuck out nine and gave up one hit and one walk in five innings to lead South Hills.

La Salle 3, Damien 0: Sophomores Andrew Luna and Frane Flores combined on a five-hitter and Chris Cardenas contributed two hits for La Salle.

Arcadia 4, La Serna 1: The Apaches won their opener.

Westlake 4, Paracelete 3: Noah Stead had the walk-off RBI single in the seventh.

Thousand Oaks 4, Moorpark 3: Justin Maher had two hits and struck out six in five innings for Thousand Oaks.

Newport Harbor 3, Northwood 2: Lucas Perez had the walk-off double and Gavin Guy struck out 10 in five innings.

Softball

Carson 5, North Torrance 0: Giselle Pantoja threw the shutout and Rylee Gardner homered for the defending City champs.

Bishop Amat 3, San Dimas 2: Aiyana Perez had two hits for Bishop Amat.

Crescenta Valley 6, Grand Terrace 5: Jasmine Hernandez hit two doubles as the Falcons won on a walk-off in the eighth inning.

Boys soccer

Hart 0, Mira Costa 0: The Hawks advanced to the Open Division semifinals with a win via penalty kicks. Both teams missed two attempts each before Hart prevailed. Hart will play at Loyola on Wednesday. The other semifinal has JSerra facing Santa Monica.

Cathedral 2, Villa Park 1: Senior Justino Gutierrez scored the golden goal in overtime to advance Cathedral in the Division 1 playoffs and a rematch against league rival Bishop Amat, a team that has beaten Cathedral twice this season.