After Grabbing Lead, Canyon Fights to Hold Off Paramount

No county team has won more games this season than Canyon, which suggests the Comanches do many things right.

On Tuesday they had to do everything right on offense and defense to hold off Paramount, 8-7, in the Division II baseball playoffs at Paramount.

Should Canyon (24-3) win a section title, this probably will be the game it remembers most.

Canyon took an 8-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh only to have Paramount (16-12) rally for five runs. The game ended with a runner thrown out at the plate.

“You play this game long enough, you’ll see everything,” Canyon Coach Mike Najera said.

“But even though we had a [big] lead in the seventh we still expected it to be close. They play very well in their park. They know how to put the ball in play. We also booted a couple of balls that didn’t help us. But we have been winning close ones the past couple of weeks . . . I hope this game can help us out.”

Winning pitcher Mike Tomarelli (7-0) put his personal stamp on the Comanche victory.

He went five innings, giving up two runs and four hits. He walked four and struck out one. He delivered the key blow in the Canyon five-run fifth, a bases-loaded triple.

And, having been sent to left field in the sixth, Tomarelli made the one-hop throw to catcher Josh Fraser that cut down Paramount’s Juan Campos at the plate for the final out. Campos, who had walked and stole second, tried to score on a single by Gabriel Herrera.

“It was nerve-racking watching that final inning,” Tomarelli said. “I was just glad I was able to throw that guy out at the plate.”

Pirate Coach John Guggiana wants the dramatic ending to be a springboard for next season.

“It’s been rare for us to score that many runs. That showed some character,” Guggiana said. “I hope this will show us with more hard work, next year we can show people we are for real.”

Canyon next plays Friday against El Segundo, a 6-4 winner over San Luis Obispo.