Page 6 March 5, 2020 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
School Spotlight
Baseball and Softball Teams
Start Season
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Sports
By Gregg McMullin
The high school baseball and softball
season have started, and with it, the start of
the spring sports for El Segundo high school.
Each program is coming off successful 2019
seasons with the softball team reaching the
CIF Southern Section finals and the baseball
advancing to the quarter-finals. The 2020
season for each team could be faced with
challenges after losing so many starters to
graduation. Baseball Team Off
to Positive Start
The Eagles were off to a 3-2 start before
Monday’s game against Narbonne in the El
Segundo Tournament. Each of their wins
has been nail-biting adventures filled with
come-from-behind victories. The Eagles are a
young team with just three starters returning
and a realigned pitching staff. The defense
and pitching have been sound, but the Eagles
have been outhit in each game.
In the first game of the El Segundo Tournament
against Peninsula, the Eagles won a
thriller 4-3 in eight innings on a controversial
play at first base. El Segundo sent two-year
senior starter Aiden McRoberts to the mound
and was effective through seven innings. He
gave up three earned runs on six hits and
struck out seven.
The Eagles scored single runs in the first
three innings with RBI singles by Conrad
Bernstein in the first and third innings. The
Panthers were trailing 3-0 when they scored
two runs in the fourth inning and tied the game
3-3 in the fifth inning. The game went into
the eighth inning, and Ken Chung took over
for McRoberts, and the junior right-hander
threw a spotless inning. In the bottom half
of the inning, the Eagles loaded the bases
with two outs. Chung hit a routine ground
ball that was momentarily bobbled. The throw
to first base pulled the Panther first baseman
off the bag who attempted to swipe a tag on
Chung. The base umpire waved safe while
the winning run crossed the plate for an El
Segundo. It set off a wild celebration for the
Eagles while the Panther coaching staff went
berserk with disdain for the call.
Against West Torrance, the Eagles had
trouble getting hits but took advantage of
ten walks and a hit batter to defeat the
Warriors 5-4. The big story was the gutsy
performance turned in by El Segundo starting
pitcher, Jake Stolnack, who threw a 72-pitch
complete game.
The Warriors took a 2-0 lead in the first
inning on the strength of three hits. The
Eagles loaded the bases in the bottom of the
first inning but came away empty when they
hit into a double play. West Torrance added
to their lead in the third inning when Noah
Yi doubled and scored on Brandon Kircher’s
RBI single to make it 3-0. In the bottom half
of the third inning, Bernstein singled and
scored on an error to make it 3-1.
In the fourth inning, the Eagles couldn’t
take advantage of two walks when they
hit into a double play. They did, however,
capitalize on poor Warrior pitching in the
fifth inning when they combined four walks,
a hit batter and a single to score three runs
to take a 4-3 lead. The Warriors tied the
game in the sixth inning when Ryan Strong
singled and scored on a sacrifice RBI bunt
by Julian Galvin. In the bottom half of the
inning, Rafael Smith walked, stole second
base and scored the eventual winning run
on a fielder’s choice by Chung.
The Eagles played Narbonne on Monday,
and a win against the Gauchos would send
the Eagles into today’s semi-final at Stevenson
Field; the championship final is set
for Saturday.
Softball Team Learning
with Young Team
The Lady Eagles incredible run to last
season’s CIF final appearance comes with a
price this season. El Segundo’s seven seniors,
including five starters that led the team, are
gone. This season head coach Megan McCain
coaching skills will be tested with a roster
with zero seniors. There is experience and
some promising underclass talent to minimize
Coach McCann’s challenging season ahead.
In the season opener, North Torrance scored
single runs in the third and sixth inning and
held El Segundo off to win 2-0. The Eagles
had their opportunities but left runners in
scoring position in the first inning, left the
bases loaded in the second inning, hit into
a double play in the fourth inning, and had
runners on base in the seventh inning.
See Eagles, page 11
ESUSD
ESUSD Board of Education Presented
Arena High State of the School
Dr. Jack Plotkin, Arena High School principal
and ESUSD director of innovation and student
support services, presented a State of the School
report for Arena High School to El Segundo
Unified School District (ESUSD) Board of
Education at its February 25, 2020 meeting.
“Arena High is an alternative high school
within the district that serves 35-70 students
every year,” said Plotkin. “A key component
of the high school is that it is flexible, adaptive,
and supportive with a focus on creating
a sense of belonging for students. The school
is set up to allow for more one-on-one time
with the teachers and they are dedicated to
building strong relationships with the students.”
Dr. Plotkin announced that Arena High
School received official notification in February
from the Western Association of Schools and
Colleges (WASC) that the school has earned a
six-year accreditation, the maximum possible
accreditation award which reflects the school’s
positive outcomes. WASC is the institution
responsible for accrediting all public and private
schools in both K-12 and post-secondary
settings throughout the western United States.
A non-traditional school, Arena High is a
virtual and in-person learning environment that
incorporates an individualized programming
structure with counselors available 12 hours
per week to help students with their needs.
Two teachers and a special education instructor
provide academic support to the 38 currently
enrolled students who are in the classroom each
weekday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There is also an
independent study option for eligible students
where he/she works remotely from home and
is required to meet one time per week with
a teacher at a set day/time. The school uses
Apex Learning online curriculum combined
with a wide array of enrichment supports for
students. The Apex Learning curriculum offers
a vast catalog of courses that include Advanced
Placement and Honors courses. The instructional
See ESUSD, page 14