Community College State Baseball Championship : Rancho Santiago Has Bad Day at Plate as College of the Canyons Wins Title

Rancho Santiago lost the state community college baseball championship Monday afternoon about 20 feet from home plate.

The Dons needed one victory to win their first title, but they were swept by College of the Canyons, 7-6 in the first game and 7-5 in 10 innings in the second game, at Blair Field in Long Beach.

Rancho Santiago had defeated Canyons, 11-6, Sunday to move within one game of the title. Canyons had to come back to defeat Long Beach City, 4-1, Sunday night to advance to the championship games.

In the second game Sunday, Rancho Santiago rallied from a 5-1 deficit to tie, 5-5, in the fourth on a two-run home run by Mitch Swalley.

From there, the game became a duel of relief pitchers. Sophomore right-hander Wayne Gilles came on in relief for Rancho Santiago in the first inning and was still pitching in the 10th.

Chris Cota opened the 10th with a bunt attempt in front of the plate that Gilles could not control. It was ruled a single. Bob Clark walked on four pitches to bring up Don Erickson in an obvious bunt situation.

But after two pitches and no bunt, Canyons led 7-5.

Gilles’ first pitch to Erickson was a passed ball moving the runners to second and third. His second pitch went to the backstop allowing Cota to score. After catcher Ron Terrill recovered the ball, he tried to get Clark at third after he had rounded the base. Terrill’s throw sailed into left field allowing the second run to score.

Darrin Beer, who started Sunday’s game against Rancho Santiago, replaced starter Jeff Ward in the fourth after Swalley’s home run. He gave up two hits the rest of the way. Beer (13-1) retired the last 13 hitters he faced.

Gilles (3-3) had replaced starter David Salcido in the first inning after Salcido walked Cota, gave up a single to Clark and a two-run double to Erickson.

Later in the inning, Victor Sotelo singled with the bases loaded to drive in two runs, but not without added cost to the Dons.

Pete Kuld ran into Don catcher Chris Chase, who had to be carried off the field. Chase reportedly suffered a hip pointer and back spasms.

“It seemed everything that happened bad to us today happened right around home plate,” Don Sneddon, Rancho Santiago coach, said. “I’m just sort of numb right now. We came so close to the championship and to lose it this way. It might have been easier to accept a blowout.”

The first game also featured a deciding play at home plate.

In the second inning, Andy Cutchull was caught between third and home. After a series of throws, Cutchull and pitcher Mike Schwabe became tangled, with the ball eventually coming out of Schwabe’s glove.

Schwabe (13-2) pitched a complete game, giving up 15 hits in the loss. He was outpitched by sophomore right-hander Frank Halcovich (15-0) who gave up eight hits including a bases-empty home run to Scott Swearingen.

This was the fourth appearance in the final game in the last five years for the Canyons under Coach Mike Gillespie. Canyons (41-6) won the title in 1981 and 1983. The Cougars lost in the final game in 1982 and again last season.

“We had a tremendously consistent year,” Gillespie said. “We had a chance today and took advantage of it.”

Rancho Santiago (34-10) qualified for the playoffs as the second-place team in the South Coast Conference and defeated San Bernardino Valley, two games to none, in regional play to advance to the state tournament.

Sophomore Brent Reese had 10 hits in the five games for Rancho Santiago, including eight against Canyons in three games.