Baseball: Southern Section championship previews

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There are three games set for Friday at Dodger Stadium playing for Southern Section championships.

Division 1: Marina (22-8) vs. Harvard-Westlake (27-4), 8 p.m.: It’s going to be very difficult for Marina to be the first team to hand a loss to Wolverine ace Jack Flaherty, who is 12-0, continues to throw strikes and has been simply brilliant during the playoffs. Marina left-hander Austin Olivas owns wins over Norco and Agoura and will try to match Flaherty. The game will come down to execution on bunts and fielding. And Harvard-Westlake must be careful with Jake Bauers, who has 48 hits and 10 home runs. The pick: Harvard-Westlake.

Division 2: Cypress (25-8) vs. Temecula Valley (23-5), 5 p.m. Cypress is loaded with talent up and down its lineup, from Tyler Alamo to David Fletcher to Elijah Skipps. Kevin Lillicrop has shown he can pitch in big games. Temecula Valley has gotten hot during the playoffs, led by infielders Kyle Plantier (.400) and Don Maldonado (.385). This could be the most evenly matched game of the night. The pick: Cypress.

Division 3: Gardena Serra (27-5) vs. Mira Costa (24-11), 2 p.m. Dominic Smith of Serra is playing in his final high school game before he’s expected to be a first-round draft pick. He’s capable of pitching and hitting the Cavaliers to the title. But there’s plenty of support. Solomon Bates is ready to come out of the bullpen. Trent Hammond has 39 hits and 40 RBIs. Mira Costa defeated Serra, 11-1, back in early March, but Serra was missing several key players. Mira Costa has been surprising teams all season, so the Mustangs will go for the major upset. The pick: Serra.

-- Eric Sondheimer