Murrieta Mesa started the year having never won a playoff game, let alone a Southern Section Division I baseball championship. Yet on Saturday the Rams accomplished both feats.
When the playoffs started nobody predicted the Inland Empire school would win it all, but Murrieta Mesa is the last team standing after beating Harvard-Westlake 3-2 in a 10-inning contest.
The game was tied in extra innings when Andrew Dunkel put down a squeeze bunt to score Zac Filos to propel the team to a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th inning. It’s a lead Murrieta Mesa would hold on to.
Pitcher Kevin Palm pitched seven shutout innings for the Rams in the final.
During the victory ceremony Murrieta Mesa Coach Bryn Wade took off his jersey to reveal a Jackie Robinson t-shirt. Wade is a third cousin of the late Hall of Famer. It’s no secret that Wade tries to model himself after Robinson and now the coach has a successful baseball story, on a much smaller scale, to tell.
Murrieta Mesa’s win capped off a stellar year for Inland Empire prep sports. Corona Centennial won the Pac-5 football championship, Chino Hills won the Open Division state basketball title and Vista Murrieta won the state track team championship.
