High School Roundup : Perfect Strangers Help Carlsbad to 5-0 Record in Avocado League

A pair of newcomers are making a big difference for the Carlsbad High School baseball team.

Pitchers Scott Karl and Adrian Lopez, both of whom moved with their families to Carlsbad this year, have combined for 10 of the Lancers’ 12 victories and are unbeaten.

Karl, from Palmdale, kept the twosome perfect Friday with a three-hit, 8-2 Avocado League victory over Escondido. Karl is now 6-0.

Carlsbad’s record is 12-4 overall, 5-0 in the league.

Lopez, a senior transfer from Banning who plays shortstop when he isn’t pitching, played flawlessly in the field and went 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Karl, a junior left-hander, struck out five and walked three in going the distance.

He got all the support he needed in Carlsbad’s four-run first inning.

Jeff Myers and Robert Wurster knocked in one run each, and Tim Granich drove in two with a well-executed, two-strike squeeze bunt.

Escondido (8-9, 2-3) cut the lead in half in the fourth inning on a walk to Gary Larrabee, a double by Tom Afenir, a single by losing pitcher Mike Scales (1-1) and a squeeze bunt by Carl Skaja.

In the sixth, Larrabee walked again, advanced to second on an infield out and went to third on a single by Afenir. With one out, Larrabee then tried to score on a shallow flyout. Carlsbad right fielder Dave Hogan made a good throw to the plate, and Larrabee knocked the ball loose in a collision with Granich, the Lancers’ catcher. But Larrabee was called out for failing to avoid a collision.

Carlsbad put the game away in the sixth inning when sophomore left fielder Bryan Black hit a grand slam.