Baseball: Los Alamitos rallies to take 7-5 lead in seventh

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Los Alamitos just scored five runs in the top of the seventh of its Southern Section-Toyota Division I second-round game at Anaheim Canyon, taking a 7-5 lead and much of the wind out of Comanches bid for an upset victory over the top-seeded Griffins.

Canyon starter Gabe Garcia finally hit the wall in the top of the seventh, walking his eighth batter of the game to start the inning. In came junior left-hander Alex Najera, the son of former Canyon Coach Mike Najera, and he gave up a soft single to Kirk Singer and a one-out walk to pinch-hitter Kirk DeAngelis to load the bases.

Zack Hannaford then rolled an opposite-field single to right field to cut the deficit to 5-3 and bring up the top of the order.

Brian Tripp then hit what looked like a game-ending double play, but the ball took a bad hop off the edge of the grass and over the left shoulder of shortstop Joey Boney, driving in two runs to tie the score, 5-5.

Up stepped Eric Robbins and, after a wild pitch, he hit a one-hopper over the head of Boney, driving in two more runs for a 7-5 lead.

Najera was done and the second-guessing began, mainly the decision to relieve Garcia to start the inning. Garcia probably threw 140 pitches, however, leaving little choice but to remove him after he walked the leadoff batter. From what I hear, the Comanches have some injuries to their pitching staff and Garcia was all they had.

We still have the bottom of the seventh inning too.

--Dan Arritt