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Moreno’s big throw helps El Camino Real beat Chatsworth for City baseball title

El Camino Real's Eric Yang celebrates as he scores in the sixth inning for a 2-1 lead over Chatsworth in the City Section Division I championship game on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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It was the kind of throw from center field at Dodger Stadium that would have made Willie Mays or Roberto Clemente nod with approval.

Daniel Moreno of El Camino Real retrieved a single by Chatsworth’s Andrew Renteria in right center after one bounce. He was moving forward when he released the ball with all his might. It landed straight into the glove of catcher Eric Yang, who tagged out Daniel Zakosek trying to score the tying run from second base in the sixth inning of the City Section Division I championship game.

“To have a putout in center field at Dodger Stadium to save the City title game is unbelievable,” Moreno said.

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El Camino Real (28-7) came away with a 2-1 victory Saturday and won its ninth City Division I championship.

“That was the best throw I’ve ever made in my life,” Moreno said.

Moreno, a senior, has been showing off a strong arm all season. He threw out a runner in the 13th inning in a San Diego tournament game to save the Conquistadores in March. And Coach Josh Lienhard calls him the best defensive center fielder in his eight years at El Camino Real.

Conquistadores defeat Chatsworth, 2-1, at Dodger Stadium

It was a heartbreaking defeat for the top-seeded Chancellors (29-7), who held a 1-0 lead through five innings on the strength of exceptional pitching from junior Ryan Roche. An RBI bunt single in the third by Josh Medina gave Chatsworth its lead.

But Dane Reed opened the sixth with a single, was sacrificed to second, and after Eric Yang walked, Coach Tom Meusborn elected to bring in Tommy Palomera. Palomera walked Jake Baer and had two strikes on James Terrazas when Terrazas hit a two-run single to right field.

“I just tried to get the barrel on the bat and it worked,” Terrazas said.

Chatsworth tried to come back in the bottom of the sixth against starter Jordan Berg. That’s when Lienhard went to his team’s closer, Elan Filous, who picked up his second save of the playoffs with a big assist from Moreno.

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Filous found himself at the bottom of the dogpile following the final out. It was quite a change from a year ago.

“I was sitting in the stands,” said Filous, a JV player last year when El Camino Real won the 2015 championship at Dodger Stadium. “I was wishing I could have been called up but didn’t. I wanted to come back and get this moment and wanted this feeling.”

Afterward, El Camino Real’s seniors, led by Moreno, had to hurry back to Woodland Hills to go to the prom. Asked if playing at Dodger Stadium would be more exciting than going to the prom, Moreno said, “Way more exciting.”

In the Division II final, the Alvarez twins, Andrew and Jacob, led Eagle Rock to its first baseball title with a 10-6 win over Franklin. Andrew threw a complete game, struck out nine and also had a double and single. Jacob contributed two hits and three runs batted in. Both are three-sport athletes at Eagle Rock.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSondheimer

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