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West comes back from four runs down in extra innings
by Ryan McDonald
The West Torrance-Mira Costa baseball matchup showed you can never count West Torrance out in a clutch situation. West, rated 20th nationally, was down 7-3 in the final inning. But West managed to come back for an 8-7 extra innings victory at Costa last Wednesday. The game was very important for both teams. It could determine the Bay League leader and gave West a chance to make up for their recent losses to Peninsula. It also avenged of Costa’s upset of West last season, when West was rated fourth nationally.
West took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second on several hits and a few wild pitches. Costa pitcher David Johnson, showing why he is one of the nation’s top baseball prospects, closed out the inning with a clutch full count strikeout. Costa soon regained the lead with hits by Devin Adair and Greg Kish and a catcher’s interference call. The boisterous Costa crowd made things tough for West and the umpire, criticizing West for hitting pitcher David Johnson and the umpire for disagreeable calls.
The next inning, Torrance started out with a frozen rope line drive up the middle. Costa shortstop Zack Shriber made a great play, but the ump ruled the West runner safe at first. After some controversy on the field, Shriber was forced to leave the field. Costa would use three shortstops in the game.
Hits by Henry Pearson, Kevin Millbank, and Greg Kit helped Costa build a 6-2 lead. The three-run third was also highlighted by a confrontation involving the umpires and coaches of both teams. Pitcher David Johnson had trouble closing out the fifth and walked in a run to make it 6-3 Costa. Tyler Klosowski provided relief for Johnson. Costa closed out the fifth and took a 7-3 lead in the sixth. But as catcher Nelson Caraballo of West said, "We weren’t nervous. We want to be in first place." Caraballo added, "I like clutch situations." Caraballo had one of several key hits to tie the game in the seventh inning. Jesse Mora, barely avoided the tag at home to score the run that forced extra innings.
Joel Weeks all but clinched it in the top of the eighth by bringing home Elliot Salcedo on a sacrifice fly. Costa failed to score in the bottom of the inning. Said Costa coach Jim Beaumont of the team’s performance: "We were the chink in our own armor." ER