Crespi opens with win over Carson in Division II baseball regionals

It was Taco Tuesday at the Crespi snack bar. Fans could munch on carne asada as the Southern California Regional baseball playoffs began under a cloudy sky in Encino.

In the Division II opener, the host Celts fell behind 3-0 to City Section Open Division runner-up Carson, then rallied for an 11-4 victory.

Ethan Kodama and Isaiah Magdaleno each contributed two-run singles and Chris Arce had a two-run double for Crespi, seeded No. 1 in the eight-team tournament. The Celts will host Santee Santana on Thursday in the semifinals.

Dylan Mares drove in three runs for Carson.

Calabasas 3, Birmingham 1: Jordan Kingston threw a complete game and Nate Castellon hit a home run to lead Calabasas in a Division 2 opener that eliminated City Section Open Division champion Birmingham.

South Hills 2, Bakersfield Centennial 1: Steven Jimenez threw four scoreless innings and Marcos Rosales had an RBI double in the first inning to lead South Hills in a Division II opener.

Santa Margarita 4, Carlsbad 3: Trailing 3-2 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Eagles loaded the bases with none out, tied it on a fielder’s choice and won it on Drew Rutter’s walk-off single to advance in Division I. Santa Margarita will host Rancho Bernardo on Thursday. Rancho Bernardo defeated Corona 8-3.

La Costa Canyon 6, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 4: The Knights’ pitching, so good all season, didn’t hold up in the first two innings in a Division I road loss.

Chula Vista Eastlake 2, Orange Lutheran 1: Jeremiah Vargas hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning for a Division I victory.

Anaheim Canyon 3, Sylmar 0: J.P. Sova threw the shutout in a Division III opener for top-seeded Canyon. Freshman Alex Martinez struck out four in 5 1/3 innings for Sylmar.

Westlake 4, Palisades 0: Andrew Habermann threw the shutout for Westlake, allowing two hits. Nate Johnson had two hits and two RBIs.

Softball

Oaks Christian 10, Moorpark 2: Rylee McCoy and I’lovea Brittingham had home runs while Terrianna Kelley contributed a two-run double and an RBI single for the Lions’ Division I victory. They will play host to Rancho Bernardo on Thursday.