Baseball: The curveball that was supposed to be a fastball

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In the fifth inning of Tuesday’s Division I semifinal, Edison pitcher Henry Owens was given the fastball sign by catcher Donald Sneed for a 3-and-2 pitch against Mater Dei’s Cory Hahn with runners on first and second.

After the game, Owens said he thought the count was 2-and-2 and decided to throw a curveball. It was the best pitch he threw all night, floating over for a called third strike and was a memorable moment in Edison’s 2-1 victory.

It sets up an Edison-Capistrano Valley final Saturday at Angel Stadium. Edison has a hot pitcher in Kurt Heyer ready to go. But Capistrano Valley has an equally successful pitcher in Kevin Chambers, who threw a shutout in his last start.

Edison will try to score early because the Chargers know that Tyler Matzek of Capistrano Valley will be available to pitch three innings if needed.

-- Eric Sondheimer