Community College State Baseball Tournament : College of the Canyons Finally Gains Final to Play Rancho Santiago

College of the Canyons’ baseball players reluctantly made themselves comfortable in the stands behind the third-base line at Blair Field in Long Beach while the Rancho Santiago players headed for their bus.

Rancho Santiago had just upset Canyons, the team most coaches picked as the favorite in the community college baseball tournament, 11-6, in the semifinal round Sunday afternoon. The Rancho Santiago players left to rest, knowing that they would be playing for the state title today.

They left the stunned College of the Canyons players wondering what had happened and waiting to play another game to earn the right to play today. Not much enthusiasm for the surprise doubleheader.

But Canyons did stay alive in the tournament by beating (and eliminating) Long Beach City College, 4-1, Sunday night in the double-elimination tournament.

So there will be a rematch today at 10 a.m. between Canyons and Rancho Santiago, with Rancho Santiago holding the upper hand. If Rancho Santiago wins, it will win the state title. If not, there will be a second game 30 minutes after the first.

“Our game plan has gone exactly like we planned it out,” Rancho Santiago Coach Don Sneddon said. “Every move we wanted to make has worked out. . . . We plan to win it in one. Our motto for the tournament has been ‘no doubleheaders.’ ”

This is Rancho Santiago’s first appearance in the state tournament since 1952, the year Sneddon was born.

College of the Canyons came into the tournament with a 35-5 record and won its first two games to meet Rancho Santiago, which also won its first two.

Even the large size of Blair Field had not been able to contain the Mountain Valley champion Cougars before Sunday. It is 347 feet down the lines and 400 to center field with a 10-foot block wall ringing the outfield.

The Cougars hit three home runs in the first two games and raised their school-record home run total to 72.

In the end, though, the size of Blair Field worked in favor of Rancho Santiago.

With two on and the Dons holding an 8-4 lead in the seventh inning, designated hitter Frank Halcovich drove a Chris Shiflett pitch to the base of the wall, nearly 370 feet away. What would have been a home run in most community college parks was just a long fly ball that Frank Appice was able to make a running catch on.

The out became more important when Canyons scored twice in the inning to close to 8-6.

Rancho Santiago added two runs in the eighth on a single by second baseman Steve Scarsone. Mitch Swalley, who had three hits, bunted in the last run in the top of the ninth.

Canyons had played poorly earlier, making four errors in the first two innings leading to three Rancho Santiago runs.

Rancho Santiago (34-8) hit the ball well. The Dons pounded three pitchers for 17 hits. Freshman designated hitter Brent Reese was 4 for 5, scored three runs and drove in one.

Reese is the latest player to step forward for the the Dons.

In the Dons’ first-round 9-4 victory over Merced, seldom-used freshman George Fausto hit a three-run home run, the first of his career.

Freshman Ted Flores had singled in the winning run in the top of the 10th as the Dons defeated San Mateo, 2-1, to advance to the game against Canyons. He had only 11 at-bats before his game-winning hit.

Although the hitting stars have changed, the pitching has been consistent for Rancho Santiago.

Sophomore right-hander Wayne Gilles worked the final 2 innings, giving up two hits to earn his fifth save of the season--a school record. It was also his eighth career save, which is a Dons record. Gilles tied the record with a save in the first game of the tournament.

The records had been held by Greg Mathews (1981-82).

Shiflett (8-2) recorded the victory and sophomore Charles Perrault (0-1) took the loss.