Jermiah Peffers, absent from spring football, leads Shadow Hills baseball to CIF playoff win
Because of the CIF Southern Section baseball playoffs, Jermiah Peffers is not on the field participating in spring football with Shadow Hills High School. Instead, the two-time all-league linebacker is on the baseball diamond with his other teammates.
And if Peffers, a junior, continues to play the way he did Thursday, his hiatus from spring football could be prolonged even further.
Peffers led the way for the Knights in their Division 5 first round CIF-SS playoff series, going 3-for-4 and scoring three runs in an 11-2 win over Carter High (Rialto).
“I miss football and I want to be out there,” said Peffers, who also stole two bases and recorded a pair of RBIs. “But baseball season is still going, and we’re not done yet.”
Julian Herrera, a junior, pitched six innings and struck out eight batters to secure the win. He allowed five hits, including a home run over the right field wall, and walked six.
Herrera opened the game with two perfect innings, which helped the Knights (14-9) jump out to an early lead. They scored two runs in the first inning and two in the third to go up 4-0.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Lions (7-17) began to make a game out of it. Seven players got on base and Carter scored a pair of runs, including a home run by Evan Uribe, leaving two in scoring position to end the inning.
But the Knights didn’t let the Lions hang around long. They scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, then four more in the fifth before emptying the bench in the sixth.
For the game, Shadow Hills stole nine bases and recorded eight RBIs.
Jason Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a double and he stole two bases and finished with two runs. Alex Arizaga was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a pair of runs. Julian Garcia was 2-for-3 with a walk, two stolen bases a run and an RBI.
“They came together for a good win,” Knights head coach Lupe Lopez said. “Even in the bad inning we had, they stuck together and got through it.”
Shadow Hills will now play either at Ontario or at home against Village Christian on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. If the Knights win, they will then play in the Division 5 quarterfinals on May 12.
While Peffers is looking forward to the upcoming football season, he said that it can wait, for now.
The Knights need four more wins to claim a CIF title, and Peffers wants to go the distance.
“Hopefully we keep winning,” he said. “Four more wins. Four more wins and I’ll be back out there on the football field.”
Andrew John covers sports in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Shadow Hills beats Carter, 11-2, to advance in CIF baseball playoffs
