Prep sports roundup: Justin Kirchner's pitching, James Tronstein's hitting lead 8-0 win for Harvard-Westlake

For those people putting together lists of top high school baseball prospects for the 2026 draft, you better start paying attention to Harvard-Westlake shortstop James Tronstein, a Vanderbilt commit who should be rising fast because of what he's been doing with his bat.

James Tronstein is doing everything today but handle the water bottles. Bunt single showing off his speed. pic.twitter.com/87HM7GJkpl

— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 14, 2026

In his latest performance Tuesday against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, he had a line drive single past the shortstop, an RBI triple over the center fielder's glove, a bunt single and an RBI double over the right fielder's glove in the Wolverines' 8-0 win. He raised his season batting average to .526 with 30 hits, including four home runs.

"Just playing baseball," said the senior with a 4.0 grade-point average. He was a standout center fielder last season. Now he's a shortstop with only three errors in 19 games. The momentum is building for him and his teammates.

Justin Kirchner threw 10 pitches, nine for strikes. All three Notre Dame hitters struck out in first inning. pic.twitter.com/n1TDGdx3kF

— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 14, 2026

"It's a blessing and am super grateful for the opportunities," he said.

Harvard-Westlake's ace pitcher, junior Justin Kirchner, made a fantastic first impression in the first inning. He threw 10 pitches, nine of which were strikes and led to three strikeouts. He finished with a three-hitter, striking out six and walking one to improve to 8-0. He has a no-hitter this season and has gotten better with each start. He said his progress is tied to the team's improvement, with the hitters giving him runs and the defense making plays.

"I've definitely grown as the season has gone on," Kirchner said. "Our team has grown. Our offense has grown."

My take on the performance of James Tronstein today, someone who has to be rising as a pro prospect. pic.twitter.com/A8eJPoqv6R

— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 15, 2026

Ira Rootman had three hits and freshman Louis Lappe contributed two hits and three RBIs.

It was the first game of a three-game Mission League series with the Knights (14-4, 7-1), who came in holding first place but with Harvard-Westlake (15-4, 6-2), Bishop Alemany (14-4, 6-2) and Sierra Canyon (15-3, 6-2) closing fast. The two teams play again Wednesday night at Notre Dame and Friday at O'Malley Family Field.

Bishop Alemany 10, Chaminade 6: Maverick Cederlind had two doubles and four RBIs and Mikey Martinez went three for three to lead the Warriors.

Sierra Canyon 4, St. Francis 1: Brayden Goldstein had two hits and two RBIs and Armando Solorio gave up one run in five innings.

Crespi 11, Loyola 9: An eight-run fourth inning helped the Celts win their first Mission League game. Krystan Bell had a home run and two RBIs. Bobby Rapp finished with three hits and four RBIs for Loyola.

St. John Bosco 5, Santa Margarita 1: The Braves handed Tyler George his first defeat. James Clark had a first-inning home run and Noah Everly added three hits. Julian Garcia struck out 12 in six innings.

Orange Lutheran 8, JSerra 3: Eric Zdunek had a home run, two singles and three RBIs and Ricardo Hurtado also homered for the No. 1-ranked Lancers.

Cypress 5, El Dorado 0: Dylan Keliiholokai hit two home runs and finished with four RBIs in the big Crestview League win. Drew Slevcove struck out nine with no walks in a complete game.

Villa Park 2, Foothill 1: Jack McGuire struck out 16 and Justin Lopez hit the go-ahead home run.

Granada Hills 4, Cleveland 0: Luke Chau struck out six in four scoreless innings to lead the Highlanders to a West Valley League win. Cayden Lazar contributed a two-run double.

La Mirada 3, Warren 2: The Matadores won it in the bottom of the seventh on a bases loaded walk. Jesse Colon had three hits.

Westlake 2, Calabasas 0: Micah Cummins threw six shutout innings and Harris Lee got the save. Caden Atkinson drove in both runs with a two-run double.

Thousand Oaks 15, Oaks Christian 10: Jake Ange hit his eighth home run, a three-run shot, and Gavin and Jameson Berigan each had three hits in the Lancers' wild Marmonte League win. Ryan Sheffer hit a three-run home run for Oaks Christian.

Newbury Park 7, Agoura 3: Carson Richter contributed two doubles and two RBIs for the Panthers.

Huntington Beach 16, Fountain Valley 4: Owen Bone and Ely Mason each had three hits and three RBIs.

Edison 8, Marina 6: Andy Van Den Eynden finished with two hits and four RBIs for Edison.

Corona del Mar 3, Los Alamitos 2: A sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth by Brady Zenz gave Corona del Mar the walk-off victory.

Softball

Chaminade 12, Harvard-Westlake 1: A 10-run third inning broke the game open for Chaminade. Finley Suppan had two hits and two RBIs and also picked up the pitching victory. Siena Greenlinger finished with two hits and three RBIs.

Garden Grove Pacifica 4, Cypress 3: Natalie Pacheco broke a 3-3 tie with an RBI single in the seventh for Pacifica.

Orange Lutheran 13, Santa Margarita 0: Cate Medvitz hit a three-run home run and Rylee Silver struck out nine. Melia Munoz added three hits and three RBIs.

JSerra 10, Mater Dei 1: Liliana Escobar struck out 10 in five innings.

Warren 5, La Mirada 1: The Bears handed a rare league defeat to La Mirada.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 14, Louisville 2: Brooklyn Mireles hit two home runs to lead the Knights. Kelsey Luderer also hit a grand slam.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.