Canyons Sweeps to WSC Title

So much for beating College of the Canyons’ baseball team in Valencia. From Oxnard College’s point of view, it’s impossible.

The Condors had Canyons down by four runs after the first inning, a tough left-hander on the mound for the second game of the best-of-three Western State Conference championship series and all the momentum in the world.

Oxnard lost, 17-5. So much for momentum.

Canyons scored at least one run in every inning other than the first, and the Cougars pounded out 23 hits in the final seven innings, including eight doubles and four home runs.

The win gave Canyons (31-7 overall) its eighth consecutive conference title and 38 consecutive wins at home in the past three years.

“They got four in the first, but I knew we were in our own park and these guys play hard here,” said second-year Coach Len Mohney, who has yet to coach a Cougar loss in Valencia.

Oxnard (25-13) made itself at home in the first, scoring four runs on two hits, a walk, a hit batsman and an error. But after allowing those four unearned runs, Canyons starter Pablo Suarez (6-0) did not give up another run until the eighth, when Canyons was ahead, 13-4.

Suarez, a right-handed sophomore from Chaminade High, retired nine consecutive batters in one stretch and gave up only four hits after the first.

“Suarez had a great game,” Mohney said. “He really got them. He shut them down.”

The Cougars pulled to within 4-3 with a run in the second and two runs in the third.

Jeff Flesher led off the fourth with a home run to center field, and, with two out, Chris Joy, Steve Glantz and Mike Bible had consecutive hits. Bible’s two-run double gave Canyons a 6-4 lead.

“This field has played big all year, but I knew today was a ‘Temple of Boom’ day,” Mohney said.

The Cougars lowered the boom in the sixth inning, scoring five runs on two singles, three doubles and another Flesher home run, the shortstop’s third of the season. Designated-hitter Peter Washington added another run in the seventh on his third home run and Canyons scored four more runs in the eighth.

Flesher, Joy and Bible each had four hits and every Canyons starter had at least one hit. Bible had two doubles and five runs batted in and Flesher, who bats ninth, had four RBIs. Joy had two doubles and scored three runs.

Canyons has nearly two weeks to prepare for the state regional playoffs, which begin May 20 at Ventura and Cerritos.