SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS : Errors Cost El Dorado Trip to Final

Lakewood High School took advantage of four El Dorado errors to score three unearned runs and defeat the Golden Hawks, 5-4, Tuesday in a Southern Section 4-A semifinal game played before an estimated 1,200 at Valencia High School.

Lancer right-hander Mike McNary (11-3) allowed eight hits and struck out eight for his fourth straight win of the playoffs, giving Lakewood a berth in Saturday night’s championship game against Esperanza at Dodger Stadium.

El Dorado left-hander Steve Gill allowed seven hits and struck out five, but he didn’t receive much help from his teammates--or himself. Gill’s wild pitch in the seventh allowed Dewey Kaeka to score the go-ahead run and break a 3-3 tie.

The Lancers added another run in the seventh on Matt Nuez’s sacrifice fly and held off the Golden Hawks in the bottom of the inning. Doug Yates led off with a home run to right-center to make it 5-4, but McNary got Scott Tomko and Chris Facione to fly out, and he struck out pinch-hitter Brian Behnke to end the game.

Errors helped Lakewood score its first three runs. Damion Easley walked with two out in the second, advanced to third on Gill’s wild pickoff attempt and scored on Fred Pena’s single. In the fourth, right fielder Sean Shedlock bobbled Pena’s single, allowing Nuez to score from second after he had held up at third.

Nuez also led off the sixth with a ground ball that bounced off second baseman Rene Ayala’s glove and past Shedlock in right. Nuez went all the way to third on the miscue and scored on John Baldwin’s sacrifice fly.

El Dorado played most of the game without its leading hitter, shortstop Bret Boone, who was ejected along with Lakewood second baseman Paul Graves in the third inning after the two had exchanged words and shoves.

But the Golden Hawks still hit McNary hard, as Kevin Schula came through with an RBI double and Ayala had an RBI single in the fourth inning to make it 2-2. Yates singled and scored on Tomko’s double in the fifth to give El Dorado a short-lived, 3-2 lead. The Golden Hawks loaded the bases in the sixth, but Shedlock, batting in Boone’s No. 3 spot, flied out to end the inning.