Mater Dei’s Kai Bratton goes to hug pitcher Brandon Thomas (34) as Aidan Harty, left, and Owen McLarand, right, close in to join the celebration after the Monarchs won their CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff against Foothill in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Mater Dei’s Sebastian Navarro, left, and Austin Gerken celebrate winning the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff against Foothill in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Mater Dei’s Sebastian Navarro scores a run in the sixth inning against Foothill in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Mater Dei’s Bradley Beaudreau, left, gets back to the bag at second on a pick-off attempt as Foothill’s Ezekiel Vargas, right, takes the throw in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Foothill pitcher Gavin Lauridsen delivers a pitch against Mater Dei in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Mater Dei’s Sebastian Navarro falls down as he rounds third on his way home to score in the sixth inning against Foothill in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Mater Dei’s Ezekiel Lara loses the ball as the slope in the outfield causes him to stumble in the fifth inning during the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff against Foothill in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Foothill’s Jason Gugino stands at second base after hitting a double against Mater Dei in the third inning in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Mater Dei’s Sebastian Navarro sprints home to score after falling down rounding third in the sixth inning in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff against Foothill in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) A Foothill fan checks out the scoreboard between innings during the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff against Mater Dei in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Foothill’s Evrett Rycroft, right, cruises into third base with a triple in the fifth inning against Mater Dei in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Mater Dei’s Sebastian Navarro, right, is picked off first base in the first inning as Foothill’s first baseman Sean Green applies the tag in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Mater Dei pitcher Brandon Thomas delivers a pitch against Foothill in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Mater Dei’s Brady Guth lays down a sacrifice bunt to move teammate Dylan Wetzel to third in the the seventh inning against Foothill in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Foothill’s pitcher Gavin Lauridsen gets a visit on the mound during in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff against Mater Dei in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Show Caption1 of 15Mater Dei’s Kai Bratton goes to hug pitcher Brandon Thomas (34) as Aidan Harty, left, and Owen McLarand, right, close in to join the celebration after the Monarchs won their CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal baseball playoff against Foothill in Santa Ana on Friday, May 23, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Expand
SANTA ANA – Mater Dei pitcher Brandon Thomas felt great about how he was throwing the ball while warming up in the bullpen.
That continued throughout the game.
Thomas shut out Foothill, 2-0, on four hits and had 13 strikeouts with no walks Friday in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 baseball playoffs.
Mater Dei (18-13), which finished last in the Trinity League this season with a 4-11 record, will play at home Tuesday in the semifinals against Fountain Valley.
Brandon Thomas’ 13th strikeout ends it. Final – Mater Dei 2, Foothill 0 @CIFSS Division 2 quarterfinal @ocvarsity @LesLukach @latsondheimer @ocvarsityguy pic.twitter.com/a1U1LLxuYI
— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) May 24, 2025
Foothill finished the season 19-12.
Thomas, a senior right-hander who signed with Fresno State, said his pregame bullpen session was sharp so he was confident that he would be on his game. And Thomas knew that the opposing starting pitcher, Foothill’s Gavin Lauridsen, a senior right-hander who signed with USC, was sure to be on his game, too.
Thomas said Friday’s game ranks among his better pitching days.
“This is probably one of the best ones I’ve had in my life, I have to say,” Thomas said. “To come out against a good team on their home field, with their fans and with their lineup, and with Gavin pitching, as well.”
Lauridsen had nine strikeouts, allowed seven hits and walked one.
The game was scoreless through the fifth inning. Monarchs sophomore Sebastian Navarro led off top of the sixth inning with a bloop single to shallow right field. Navarro advanced to second base on Bradley Beaudreau’s sacrifice bunt.
Mater Dei junior Ezekiel Lara followed with a line drive into the right-center field gap. Navarro stumbled and fell while rounding third base, got up and scored without a throw to home plate. Lara, trying to stretch his hit into a triple, was thrown out at third base.
Top of 6th inning – Mater Dei’s Sebastian Navarro stumbles but scores on Ezekiel Lara drive to right/center field. Lara out at 3B. MD 1, Foothill 0 pic.twitter.com/zsuae62vUh
— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) May 24, 2025
The Monarchs scored their other run in the top of the seventh. Senior Dylan Wetzel sent a deep drive to left field that struck the fence on the fly for a double. Wetzel moved to third base on sophomore Brady Guth’s sacrifice bunt and scored on junior Giovanni Rudisill’s bouncing single up the middle to make it 2-0.
Foothill’s best scoring chance was in the fifth inning. Evrett Rycroft launched a deep fly to right-center field. Lara, racing into the gap that has an incline over the last 15 yards or so to the outfield fence, made a diving effort and got the ball in his glove but could not hold on as he hit the turf.
Thomas struck the next three batters to end the threat.
For Mater Dei coach Richard Mercado, that inning put the exclamation mark on Thomas’ overall performance Friday.
“This might be his best game based on how well he threw and how he stepped up in the big moments,” Mercado said. “After that triple, he punches out the side after that and the whole environment of the quarterfinals of the CIF playoffs, the whole thing combined, this has got to be it.”
Mater Dei secured a spot in the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs that begin June 3. All CIF-SS Division 1 and 2 semifinalists qualify for the regional.
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