Canyons Strung Out by El Camino : 9-6 Loss Forces Team to Miss State Playoffs for 1st Time in 8 Years

For eight innings, Len Mohney had little more to do than kick the dirt around the dugout in frustration.

Finally, in the ninth, the College of the Canyons coach got his first real chance to make a managerial decision.

He sent in Kevin Miner, a 6-foot, 3-inch, 220-pound pitcher, to pinch-hit.

Miner came to the plate representing the tying run and Canyons’ last chance to earn respectability in the Southern California junior college regional baseball playoffs at Cerritos.

Mohney’s gamble did not pay off, however. Miner grounded into a game-ending double play and El Camino held on for a 9-6, consolation-bracket victory Saturday to eliminate Canyons.

“It was sort of a prayer,” Mohney said of the decision to send up Miner. “But he has power and he’s a good athlete. You’ve got to pull out all of the strings.”

Canyons had few strings left to pull after entering the ninth trailing, 9-5. The Cougars showed signs of life, however, when Jeff Flesher singled and advanced to second on Billy Picketts’ grounder to the right side of the infield. Picketts was called out for running out of the basepath.

Ray Palagyi singled home Flesher from second and Roger Nix singled to give Canyons two runners with only one out. Mohney then pulled Arnold Durazo, who was batting in the designated-hitter’s spot for Pete Washington, and sent in Miner.

Reliever David Seward got Miner to ground out and Canyons failed to earn a berth in the state playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Canyons (32-8) trailed, 4-0, after the first and, 9-1, after six innings. The Cougars did not get their first hit until Flesher doubled in the third.

Cougar starter Pablo Suarez (6-1) gave up eight runs--five earned--and seven hits in five innings to suffer the loss.

Colin Franker, El Camino’s leader in batting (.400) and runs batted in (53), delivered the first big blow in the first inning with a bases-loaded double over right fielder Chris Joy’s head. Robert Pfeif, who leads the team in triples with five, then smacked a two-run triple to center.

Canyons scored its first run of the tournament in the fifth to snap a 13-inning scoreless drought, scored again in the seventh and added three more in the eighth.

Starter Jeff Beck (12-3) allowed five runs and seven hits in eight innings to pick up the victory.