Canyon Tops West Hills Chaminade

WOODLAND HILLS — The Eagles have crash-landed.

West Hills Chaminade lost to Canyon, 5-1, in a Southern Section Division III semifinal Tuesday at Pierce College.

The Eagles (27-3) managed only three hits in the game and only two against Canyon’s Mike Tomarelli (8-0), who lasted 5 1/3 innings.

Chaminade Coach Scott Drootin was quick to credit Tomarelli, whose team advances to play Lakewood Artesia on Saturday in the division final at Anaheim Stadium.

But Drootin said the Eagles, who overcame a 6-1 deficit in a quarterfinal victory last Friday, also dug themselves an inescapable hole.

“We usually find ways to scrape and scrap back but it finally caught up with us,” said Drootin, whose team trailed, 3-0, after five innings.

Canyon took a 1-0 lead in the first. No. 2 batter Jeff Leuenberger singled and moved to third when Chaminade right fielder Dan Dworsky lost a fly ball in the sun. Leuenberger scored on a groundout.

The Comanches (24-6), the second-place team from the Century League, increased their lead to 2-0 in the third. Jason Corapci singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a double by Tommy Duarte.

In the fifth, Canyon moved up, 3-0, when Brian Wahlbrink laid down a bunt single, was sacrificed to second and scored on a single by Tomarelli.

Chaminade, the Mission League champion, stranded two runners in scoring position with one out in the fifth. The Eagles broke through for a run in the sixth, but squandered another chance to do more damage.

Canyon scored twice in the seventh, including a solo home run by Leuenberger.

Tomarelli, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior left hander, allowed one run while striking out four and walking four. He pitched a no-hitter through 4 1/3 innings.