San Diego Section 2-A Baseball Championship : Escondido Puts Squeeze on Title

Bill Kutzner, the Escondido High School baseball coach, makes no secret of his love for the squeeze play, particularly when the count is 3-0.

So when Escondido’s Andy Martin reached third in the top of the 10th inning of the San Diego Section 2-A championship game, Clairemont pitcher Andy Williams knew what to do if batter Gary Larrabee tried to bunt on the 3-0 pitch.

“It’s a planned play,” Williams said. “When he turns around to squeeze, you throw it behind his head, a soft lob.”

As expected, Larrabee squared around to bunt and catcher Garth Klem moved behind the batter to take the throw. But Williams lobbed the ball high over Klem’s head, allowing Martin to score what proved to be the deciding run, as Escondido won the championship, 3-2, at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

It was the second time Escondido had attempted to squeeze in the go-ahead run in extra innings. In the eighth, with Martin on first and Jason Hobbs on third, Larrabee missed the bunt, leaving Hobbs caught in a rundown. But Klem overthrew third and Hobbs made it back to third safely.

Kutzner was unfazed that his gamble did not pay off that time.

“We just kind of tightened up,” Kutzner said. “We didn’t execute as well as we have the last few weeks. We left a lot of people on base.”

Escondido (16-11) was frustrated repeatedly in the early innings. The Cougars loaded the bases in the third, but managed only one run when Clairemont starter Rick Doane hit Martin with a pitch. In the fourth, leadoff batter Alan Brown reached third on a double and an error, but Escondido could not get him home.

Clairemont (16-12-1) scored its two runs in the second. With two out, Greg Knight reached first on a line drive off the glove of Escondido starting pitcher Mike Scales. Jaime Brunelle followed with a blooper down the left-field line that dropped between three fielders, putting runners at second and third. John Tuttle then drove in both with a similar hit that fell when Hobbs and left fielder Bob Esposito collided.

After that, Scales held Clairemont scoreless until the seventh, when he was removed after walking Brunelle and designated hitter Dan Moran. Oscar Lopez--who had saved Escondido’s two other playoff victories--pitched the last 3 innings, allowing two hits and two walks to get his third win of the season.