The Team Defeated Lennox Academy, The Two-Time Defending Coastal League Champion, 4-1, In Front of Nearly 200 Spectators. This Victory Secured New Roads’ First-Ever Coast League championship.
In Santa Monica’s Westside area, New Roads School, a private independent college preparatory institution, is recognized for instilling meaningful scholarship and ethical principles in its students. Nevertheless, the school’s varsity baseball team’s poor record of 1-41 over the past four years has not been widely known.
This changed on Senior Night at Clover Park, where the team defeated Lennox Academy, the two-time defending Coastal League champion, 4-1, in front of nearly 200 spectators. This victory secured New Roads’ first-ever Coast League championship.
To improve the baseball program, New Roads hired former New York Yankee prospect and community college coach Hector Zamora to become the coach. Zamora enlisted former New Roads star outfielder Erik Scott, as well as Culver City’s Justin Weiner and Scott Zeidman to help turn the program around.
Freshman Xavier Walker, the staff ace, started the league championship game against unbeaten Lennox Academy but was limited to two innings. Lennox took an early lead of 1-0 in the top of the first, but New Roads answered in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead. Leading 2-1, Elio LaPorta replaced Walker on the mound, and he was dominant for the next four innings, striking out seven and giving up only one hit. In the bottom of the sixth inning, New Roads scored two insurance runs, and LaPorta sealed the victory for New Roads in the seventh inning, retiring the side on twelve pitches.
New Roads will play the winner of the Brentwood and Coastal Christian Wild Card game in the CIF Division 7 playoffs on Thursday. Senior captain Jackson Chapman expressed his happiness for the seniors who had experienced a lot of losing before this year, but worked hard under coach Hector Zamora.
With six freshmen in the starting lineup, Chapman believes that this year may be the team’s first playoff appearance, but it certainly won’t be their last, as they are talented and well-prepared for the future.
