Mater Dei players cheer for their teammates as the Monarchs try to rally in the seventh inning (PHOTOS: Jacob Ramos, For OC Sports Zone).

.In a thrilling CIF Division 2 championship baseball game against West Ranch Saturday night, Mater Dei missed an opportunity for the school’s first baseball CIF title since 2010 losing 2-1 at Goodwin Field at Cal State Fullerton.

The Monarchs fell in a pitchers’ duel between two NCAA Division I-committed starters.

To see the slide show, click on the first photo:

Brandon Thomas of Mater Dei delivers a pitch in the first inning.

Mater Dei’s Brandon Thomas celebrates with his teammates at the end of an inning.

Mater Dei’s Thomas and Sebastian Navarro before the game.

Mater Dei players watch the rest of their team finish pregame warmups.

Mater Dei, led by Coach Richard Mercado, gets ready to congratulate West Ranch players.

Players from Mater Dei and West Ranch exchange handshakes.

West Ranch players celebrate the final out.

West Ranch players dogpile after the game.

Losing the battle by a slight margin was Mater Dei’s Brandon Thomas, who will pitch at Fresno State in the fall. On the opposite end, recording the win was West Ranch’s Hunter Manning, who is signed to UC Irvine and will play there beginning in fall 2026.

Despite the loss, Thomas threw well. The senior only allowed two runs in his six innings, with one being unearned.

Throughout the night, he pitched to soft contact, only allowing five hits scattered across the game. Postgame, Mater Dei Coach Richard Mercado sang his ace’s praises for his performance Saturday.

“Brandon did what he normally does. He pounds the strike zone. Unfortunately, we had some miscues that just kind of led to both their runs,” Mercado said. “I’m just proud of [Thomas]. He gives us a chance. It’s all we ever asked him to do, and that’s all he ever delivered for us. 

Early this month, Thomas announced on X that he would be continuing his career at Fresno State. Mercado also spoke about the star right-hander’s commitment postgame.

“He’s a fantastic human being and he’s a great kid. He treats his teammates with respect. He cares about people, cares about the school, and on top of all that stuff, he’s a pretty damn good baseball player,” Mercado said.

Despite the phenomenal pitching, defense gave both teams scares in Saturday’s matchup. After trailing for the majority of the game, Mater Dei scored its only run in the seventh inning after an error allowed Thomas to reach base. A pair of singles then extended the inning, and scored Thomas for what would be Mater Dei’s sole run of the evening.

It was Brady Guth who had the hit of the evening for the Monarchs (19-14) driving a single into center field to score Thomas. Thomas then lit up the Monarch dugout and fanbase, yelling in excitement at Guth standing on first base.

In addition to the West Ranch misplay, Mater Dei had a pair of crucial errors, one of which proved to be a deciding factor Saturday, eventually leading to an unearned run for the Wildcats (25-9).

The Monarchs are a relatively young team, only carrying nine seniors this season and at one point starting four sophomores regularly. Mercado spoke about the approach for his program with such a young team playing in such huge moments.

“They looked a little nervous in the moment, and I’m not surprised, but this is a big moment for anybody,” Mercado said. “[But] we’re just playing a game and the last part of the game was great, man. They competed their hearts out and just came up a little bit short tonight.”

Mercado offered more thoughts on the feeling after coming so close to a CIF title.

“Anytime you lose a one-run game, you know it’s going to sting,” Mercado said. “I feel bad for the boys, because, man, they really compete. They’ve done it all season, they fought back tooth and nail, and I think they showed a lot of heart tonight, so I’m proud of them.”

Mercado also confirmed that his team will make an appearance at the upcoming CIF So Cal regional playoffs, beginning next week. Throughout his postgame media time, he beamed with pride about his team and the players’ efforts Saturday and during the season as a whole.

“It’s a great experience for us to be back in the [CIF] finals for some since 2010, so, I’m just excited for these guys. I’m super proud of them,” Mercado said with a smile.

File Photo

Shawnee Park in Xenia will play host to the city’s annual Youth Fishing Derby event, set to take place on June 14.

Karen Rase | Greene County News

Two boys came prepared to take on the competition at the 2024 Youth Fishing Derby and brought an array of their own equipment.

Karen Rase | Greene County News

A pair take turns with the fishing pole and trying their luck at last year’s Derby.

Karen Rase | Greene County News

Josh Day and his sons are willing to take on the challenge of who can catch the most fish at the 2024 Derby.

XENIA — The City of Xenia will hold its annual Youth Fishing Derby on June 14.

The event will take place from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at Shawnee Park. The event is free and open to children ages 4 to 15.

All supplies, including bait, will be provided and all participants are asked to bring their own fishing pole.

Children will be separated into three age categories, with 4-7, 8-11 and 12-15-year-old groupings. Four trophies per age group will be awarded. Presentation of door prizes and trophies will include first place, second place, third place, and biggest fish in each age group. Children registered are eligible for door prizes, which include fishing and camping supplies, sleeping bags, flashlights, and other prizes.

All children must be accompanied by an adult, and adults are only allowed to help with baiting hooks and taking fish off the line. No catch or throw nets, fly rods, treble-hooks, or multi-hooks are allowed, and children may only have two poles at most during the event.

On-site registration for the event begins at 8:30 a.m. at Shawnee Park Pavilion. The fishing competition will take from place 9-11:30 a.m., and awards are scheduled to start at 12 p.m.

For more information about the event, call Xenia City Clerk’s officer at 937-376-7235.

Reach Karen Rase at 937-502-4534.

CLOVIS, Calif. (AP) — A transgender athlete bested the competition Saturday at the California high school track and field championship to take home gold in the girls high jump and the triple jump at a meet that has stirred controversy and drawn national attention.

AB Hernandez competed under a new rule change that may be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body. California’s governing body changed the rules ahead of the meet to allow more girls to compete and medal in events in which Hernandez competed.

Hernandez finished the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 7 inches (1.7 meters), with no failed attempts. Co-winners Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also cleared that height after each logged a failed attempt. The three shared the first-place win, smiling as they stepped together onto the podium.

Hernandez wrapped up the night with a first place finish in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher who trailed by just over a half-meter. Earlier in the afternoon, Hernandez placed second in the long jump.

Olympians Marion Jones and Tara Davis-Woodhall previously set state championship records in the long jump in 1993 and 2017, respectively, both surpassing 22 feet (6.7 meters). This year’s winner, Loren Webster, topped 21 feet (6.40 meters), with Hernandez trailing by a few inches.

The California Interscholastic Federation announced the new policy earlier this week in response to Hernandez’s success heading into the championships. Under the policy, the federation allowed an additional student to compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified.

The two-day championship kicked off Friday in sweltering heat at a high school near Fresno. Temperatures reached the triple digits during Saturday’s finals.

The atmosphere was relatively quiet despite critics — including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump — calling for Hernandez to be barred from competing. Some critics wore pink bracelets and T-shirts that read, “Save Girls’ Sports.”

During Friday’s qualifying events, an aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour with a banner: “No Boys in Girls’ Sports!” Two groups that oppose transgender athletes participating in women’s sports — the Independent Council on Women’s Sports and Women Are Real — took credit for flying the banner.

California at center of national debate

The federation’s rule change reflected efforts to find a middle ground in the debate over trans girls’ participation in youth sports.

“The CIF values all of our student-athletes and we will continue to uphold our mission of providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete while complying with California law,” the group said in a statement after announcing its rule change.

A recent AP-NORC poll found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women’s sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about 9 in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats.

The federation announced the change after Trump threatened to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The federation said it decided on the change before then.

The U.S. Department of Justice also said it would investigate the federation and the district that includes Hernandez’s high school to determine whether they violated federal sex discrimination law.

California law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

The federation said the rule opens the field to more “biological female” athletes. One expert said the change may itself be discriminatory because it creates an extra spot for “biological female” athletes but not for other trans athletes.

The federation did not specify how it defines “biological female” or how it would verify whether a competitor meets that definition.

Sophia Lorey, outreach director with California Family Council, was among those at the stadium Saturday. She said the federation’s policy is not a fix for the issue and only ends up causing more confusion.

“At the end of the day,” Lorey said, “it shows the girls that we know this is wrong and we’re still letting it happen to you.”

Hernandez told the publication Capital & Main this month that she cannot worry about critics.

“I’m still a child, you’re an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person,” she said.

Other students break records

California’s championship stands out from that of other states because of the sheer number of competitors. The state had the second-largest number of students participating in outdoor track and field in the nation during the 2023-2024 school year, behind Texas, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

The boys 100-meter heats also were a highlight, with junior Jaden Jefferson of De La Salle High School in Concord finishing in 10.01 seconds Friday, 0.19 seconds faster than a meet record set in 2023. But he fell just shy of making it count as a meet record with a final time of 10.27 seconds in Saturday’s final.

Athletes set new meet records in several events, including boys and girls relay races, hurdle competitions and the boys pole vault.

Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report.

Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna

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