The Matadores, after a bruising week physically and mentally, will need the leadership of their 15 seniors to overcome the fatigue, an early wake-up call, an 8:15 a.m. departure from the Circle and a Musketeers club that scored 20 runs Friday against Simi Valley and which has beaten La Mirada-nemesis Lakewood in earlier Redondo Tournament action.

The four stars in the huge victory over Mayfair were undoubtedly Karl Perez, Daniel Poncedeleon, Nicko Lancaster and Nick Mandry. 

The difference between winning or losing by one run can easily be pegged to Perez's opposite-field solo home run over the 365-foot sign in leftcenter for a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning and his incredible throw from center to cut down a runner at the plate in the previous Mayfair at-bat to keep the game tied at 1-1.  Mandry, the senior catcher, nabbed the perfect one-hopper and applied the tag.

Mandry also made a big difference right out of the windtunnel with a single in the first to score Lancaster, who led off the contest with a blistering double by the firstbase bag.  After a floating single to rightfield by junior shortstop Andres Rodriguez kept Lancaster frozen at second base, Perez sacrificed both runners into scoring position for Mandry's soft single.

However, Mayfair quickly responded off Poncedeleon when Big Red--senior thirdbaseman Ray Patchen--came up with a clutch single to bring in the Monsoons' other top player, senior shortstop Derrick Garcia (three hits).

La Mirada seemingly put up a big cushion for Poncedeleon with two runs in the fifth.  Another leadoff double by Lancaster, a perfect sacrifice by Rodriguez, an intentional walk to Perez and a booming double over the centerfielder's head by Mandry for his 28th RBI and a 3-1 lead.  However, Mayfair got revenge over Perez by cutting him down at the plate.

Senior leftfield J.T. Torres made up for it with an immediate linedrive single to center to bring in senior pinch-runner Mason Peacock for a 4-1 advantage.

The Monsoons weren't done rustling up rallies, though, as they cut the deficit to 4-2 in the fifth and then brought the fear of the Baseball Gods to everyone in Blue and Gold in the seventh.

Mayfair loaded the bases with no out in the bottom of the seventh on a gorgeous leadoff bunt single on the first pitch, Garcia's third single and a base on balls.  Poncedeleon--with major league scouts in attendance with radar guns as well as a representative from the University of Arizona (where he is signed)--then made his two biggest pitches of the two-hour chess match by inducing a 4-6-3 double play and then a comebacker to end it.

The double play--fielded so calmly and clutchly by senior secondbaseman Garrin Haile and then turned by Rodriguez despite the ball sticking in his glove ever so briefly and stopping some La Mirada fans' hearts--made the score 4-3 and put a runner on third with two outs.  But the half-Mexican Poncedeleon was unpatriotic--yet heroic--by getting Cesar Chavez to bounce back for the third out. 

At that moment, about as much emotion as you will see from the quiet 6-foot-3 athletic wonder spilled out as he raced over to his celebrate with his estactic teammates spilling from the dugout onto the firstbase line.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Poncedeleon's outing was the way he fielded his position with catlike precision.  One time, he was late moving over to cover first on a sacrifice bunt fielded by senior firstbaseman Mike Piazza but his extraordinary quarterback speed made up the ground fast to nip the runner.

He probably hasn't run so fast since his now legendary 80-yardish run down the leftfield sideline to turn an apparent defeat to Norwalk into a league title and a successful CIF championship run in the 2009 gridiron season.

In that last inning not recommended for the faint of heart, coach Kim Brooks was put into the precarious position of pitching to Patchen with two outs and a man on third or intentionally putting on the potential winning run.  Brooks went against his mano-y-mano personality and waved Patchen to first but he was rewarded with a good night's sleep with the way the game ended.