SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS : 4--A : Yates Powers El Dorado Past Simi Valley, 13-4

Simi Valley High School took a quick 3-0 lead over El Dorado in Tuesday’s Southern Section 4-A second-round baseball game at El Dorado.

And just when the Pioneers appeared to be working out of a first-inning jam, El Dorado’s Doug Yates began what could be the biggest day of his high school career.

Yates drove a high fastball from Simi Valley’s Scott Sharts over the right-field fence for a two-out grand slam and shifted the lead and momentum to the Golden Hawks.

From there, El Dorado, seeded second in 4-A, took advantage of eight walks, some Simi Valley fielding lapses and some timely hitting for a 13-4 victory.

In the first, Sharts drove in Tim Laker with a single to right field and shortstop Greg Gerber followed with a line-drive home run to center.

But the lead--and momentum--wouldn’t last long for Simi Valley (20-7).

Yates was 3 for 4 with two runs scored and five RBIs while making some fine plays defensively, handling seven chances without an error.

El Dorado (22-4) added two runs in the third inning, one on a towering home run to left field by shortstop Brett Boone, his 10th of the season.

Sophomore reliever Rick Langford walked El Dorado’s Scott Tomko and gave up a single to Yates to put runners on first and third. But Gerber threw a possible double-play relay into the Simi Valley dugout and Tomko scored.

In the fourth inning, Langford lost his control after Gerber dropped a throw from Sharts, who had moved to first. It blew another potential double play.

Instead of having two outs and no runners on, El Dorado had two on and no out. After a fly out, Langford forced in a run with two walks.

El Dorado, which plays Crespi at a site to be determined in the quarterfinals Friday, followed with a walk and four bases-loaded hits off Tim Laker and his brother, Mike, both of whom relieved in the inning, to complete a seven-run inning.