Santa Margarita’s Cade Townsend pitches, holding Tesoro scoreless, during a 7-0 win in a first round CIF-SS Division 1 game between the two teams on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
LAS FLORES – Santa Margarita pitcher Cade Townsend is projected to be an early-round MLB Draft pick this summer.
He showed why Friday. The senior right-hander threw a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts and one walk in the Eagles’ 7-0 win over Tesoro in a CIF Southern Section Division 1 first-round playoff game at Tesoro High.
Santa Margarita (20-8-1) will play at home against Gahr (18-10) in the second round Tuesday. Gahr of Cerritos beat Fullerton 5-2 on Friday.
Tesoro finished the season 17-11. The Titans, the CIF-SS Division 4 champion in 2022, was a South Coast League co-champion with Dana Hills this season.
Santa Margarita’s Trevor Banning hits the ball during a 7-0 win over Tesoro in a first round Division 1 CIF-SS playoff game on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Gavin Spiridonoff scores one of the Eagles’ 7 points as he slides safely into home plate, avoiding a tag from Tesoro catcher Aidan Nieto, during a first round CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Christian LaMothe slides safely into second base, avoiding the tag from Santa Margarita second baseman Brody Schumaker, during a first round CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game between the two teams on Friday, May 3, 3024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Cade Townsend pitches, holding Tesoro scoreless, during a 7-0 win in a first round CIF-SS Division 1 game between the two teams on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Logan De Groot slides safely back to first base, avoiding a tag from Tesoro first baseman Christian LaMothe, during a first round CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game at Tesoro on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Gavin Spiridonoff hits the ball during a 7-0 win over Tesoro in a first round Division 1 CIF-SS playoff game on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Logan De Groot gets hit by a pitch, earning a free base, during a first round CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game at Tesoro on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Ryan Rios pitches during a first round CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game against Santa Margarita on Friday, May 3, 3024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Cade Townsend pitches, holding Tesoro scoreless, during a 7-0 win in a first round CIF-SS Division 1 game between the two teams on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Brody Schumaker slides safely into second base, avoiding a tag from Tesoro shortstop Owen Faust, during a first round CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita pitcher Cade Townsend and his teammates celebrate their 7-0 win over Tesoro in a first round CIF-SS Division 1 game between the two teams on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Cade Townsend pitches, holding Tesoro scoreless, during a 7-0 win in a first round CIF-SS Division 1 game between the two teams on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Tanner Tobias hits the ball during a first round CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game against Santa Margarita on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Gavin Reyes, the Titan’s 4th pitcher of the game, pitches during a first round CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game against Santa Margarita on Friday, May 3, 3024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Cade Townsend pitches, holding Tesoro scoreless, during a 7-0 win in a first round CIF-SS Division 1 game between the two teams on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Logan De Groot slides safely into second base, avoiding a tag from Tesoro shortstop Owen Faust, during a first round CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Owen Faust hits the ball during a first round CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game against Santa Margarita on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Gavin Spiridonoff slides safely back to first base, avoiding a tag from Tesoro first baseman Christian LaMothe, during a first round CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game at Tesoro on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Cade Townsend pitches, holding Tesoro scoreless, during a 7-0 win in a first round CIF-SS Division 1 game between the two teams on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Ryan Rios pitches during a first round CIF-SS Division 1 playoff game against Santa Margarita on Friday, May 3, 3024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro head baseball coach Tony Nieto walks back to the dugout after talking to the umpire during a CIF-SS Division 1 home playoff game against Santa Margarita on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro head baseball coach Tony Nieto gives his players signs from the dugout during a CIF-SS Division 1 home playoff game against Santa Margarita on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Townsend (6-2, 180) has 87 strikeouts in 57 innings this season. He signed with Mississippi but might not get to Ole Miss if his MLB Draft results and offerings persuade him to turn pro instead.
Radar guns behind home plate had Townsend’s fastball consistently at 94 and 95 miles per hour with an occasional 96 mph. He also threw some sliders and a changeup at a velocity that would be a pretty good fastball for most high school pitchers.
“I felt like I had everything today,” Townsend said. “I was super happy with how the coaching staff and I were just committed to the game and knew what we were doing beforehand.”
Tesoro’s Christian LaMothe pulled a double down the right-field line with two outs in the first inning. Townsend then struck out the next seven Titans in a row and nine of the next 10. with an emphatic fist pump after many of them.
“He’s throwing multiple pitches for strikes,” said Santa Margarita coach Chris Malec. “That makes him very tough to beat with his competitiveness, his velocity and his passion.”
Santa Margarita scored two runs in the top of the second inning. Gavin Spiridonoff was hit by a pitch (and was plunked in the ribs on a pickoff attempt at first base) and went to third base when Blake Ankrum’s deep fly went over the head of Tesoro’s left fielder for a double.
Carter Enoch’s sacrifice fly sent home Spiridonoff and Ankrum, who advanced to third on the sacrifice fly, scored on wild pitch for a 2-0 lead.
Brady Schumaker led off the Eagles’ third inning with a double, went to third base on Ben Finnegan’s bunt single. Finnegan stole second base. Warren Gravely’s single to right-center field drove in Schumaker and Finnegan. Pinch-runner Hayden George scored on an error to make it 5-0.
Logan de Groot scored on a ground out in the fifth inning. Schumacher singled in Andre Owens in the sixth to complete the scoring.
The Eagles had five steals Friday.
“We have some athletes and team speed,” Malec said. “That helps us move things around.”
Santa Margarita beat Gahr 4-2 in the Prep Baseball California tournament in February and lost to Gahr 4-3 in the National Classic tournament last month.
