Baseball: Mater Dei shows it’s No. 1 in California

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After traveling to North Carolina and now Stockton, the Santa Ana Mater Dei baseball team has shown that it really likes to travel.

The streaking Monarchs (17-1) won their 17th consecutive game on Saturday, defeating Elk Grove Pleasant Grove, 8-0, in the championship game of the Boras Classic at the University of Pacific.

For the third consecutive weekend, Mater Dei made its closer, Jacob Erickson, the starting pitcher, and he once again refused to give up a single run. Coming off shutouts in championship games against Harvard-Westlake and Westlake Village Oaks Christian, the senior left-hander threw five more shutout innings against Pleasant Grove.

Ryan McMahon had a two-run double to get the Monarchs’ offense going in the third inning. Austin Grebeck finished with a single, double and triple.

Mater Dei, ranked No. 1 in the nation by several publications, continues to demonstrate that it has the best pitching staff in Southern California.

-- Eric Sondheimer