PREP BASEBALL: Things go awry for Paramount

Late miscues doom Pirates in Division III quarterfinal.

LA VERNE - It wasn't so much that Paramount had just lost its CIF Southern Section Division III quarterfinal playoff game 2-1 at top-seeded Bonita that had most of the Pirates players in tears following the game.

It was the way they lost that had coaches and players emotionally rattled and dazed.

Paramount (19-10) took Bonita (29-2) down to the wire, but saw a slew of things not go its way.

Three potential Paramount singles to right field became 9-3 putouts, two Pirates runners were thrown out at the plate and Bonita's sixth-inning run was a gift.

Paramount ace Alex Navarette had just gotten Justin Row to ground out to lead off the bottom of the sixth and then got Bonita ace Justin Garza to hit a ground ball to second for what looked to be out No. 2.

But Lalo Saucedo couldn't field the ball and Garza reached base.

After the third pickoff attempt at first base on Garza, Paramount first baseman Fernando Rios tossed the ball back to Navarette and Garza darted toward second without a play.

It proved costly as Thomas Castro then hit a line-drive base hit to score Garza to give the Bearcats a 2-1 lead heading into the top of the seventh inning.

Frankie Valenzuela led off with a single, and Steven Espinoza followed with a ground ball that found its way into shallow right field.

But instead of having first and second with no outs, Bonita right fielder Joe Willard picked up the ball and gunned

Espinoza out at first.

With Valenzuela at second and one out, Randy Buenrostro laced a line drive shot to left for what most thought was going to be first-and-

third with one out, but Paramount's third-base coach waved Valenzuela home and the Bonita left fielder hit his cutoff man, who pegged Valenzuela at the plate by at least eight feet.

Pinch-hitter Alan Tapia came on to hit with one on and two out and Garza closed the game out with his seventh strikeout.

"You have to give credit to Bonita, because they made plays when they had to and they always seemed to be positioned exactly where they should be," Paramount coach Cameron Chinn said. "I've never seen three guys thrown at first base like that."

Navarette was outstanding, as the senior lefty allowed just one earned run over 5<MD+,%30,%55,%70>1/<MD-,%0,%55,%70>3 innings and surrendered just four hits.

Bonita took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Nolan Henley doubled to start the inning and Connor Renard singled to give the Bearcats first and third with no outs.

Navarette, however, got Jacob Blunt to ground into a 4-6-3 double play that allowed Henley to score. Navarette then struck out Tanner Diebold to end the threat and the inning.

Saucedo led off the top of the sixth with what looked to be a base hit to right, but Willard came up huge again with a putout at first.

Aaron Pleitez then walked and Jesus Caporal's single to left gave the Pirates first and third with one out. After Caporal stole second to put the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with one out, Eric Cruz hit a ground ball to short, and Pleitez was nailed at the plate.

Fernando Rios, though, clutched up and singled home Caporal to tie the game just before Joseph Torres struck out.

Garza was hitting 93 on the radar Friday, and improved to 11-1 this season and 24-1 over the past two years. The senior right-hander allowed one run on five hits and struck out seven.

Rios had two hits for the Pirates.

"I am so proud of these kids for battling and thought Alex Navarette was outstanding as he's been all year," Chinn said. "Alex pitched in every tough game we played in and gave us a chance to win in each of those games."

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