Southern Section Baseball Playoffs : El Dorado’s Two-Hitter Stops Camarillo in 4-A Quarterfinal

Pitcher Scott Holcomb of El Dorado High has made a habit of pitching well in playoff games. In a span of one week, Holcomb has thrown back-to-back two-hitters.

After defeating North Torrance, 4-1, last Friday on two hits, Holcomb flirted with a no-hitter for six innings before duplicating his two-hit performance a week later at Placentia. The result was a 3-0 win over Camarillo in Friday’s Southern Section 4-A quarterfinal. Camarillo, which advanced to the final round last season, finished 18-10.

Holcomb carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning when Camarillo’s Jeremy Sumrow led off with a single to center field to ruin the no-hit bid. Holcomb allowed another hit before ending the game with 10 strikeouts and two walks.

El Dorado (22-6) of the Empire League faces Fontana on Tuesday in the semifinals. Fontana defeated Lakewood on Friday, 7-5.

El Dorado’s Steve Gill led off the bottom of the first with a double off the center-field fence and scored two batters later on second baseman Bret Boone’s double down the third-base line.

Gill gave El Dorado a 2-0 lead in the third with a towering home run to right field. El Dorado completed the scoring in the fifth when Boone doubled home Shawn Blankenship.

Camarillo’s only threat came in the seventh inning when the Scorpions brought the tying run to the plate, but Holcomb got Jason McCarthy to ground into a force-out to end the game.