High School Roundup : Carlsbad Takes More Than It Gives, Edges RBV

They should have been playing with a silver platter in place of home plate at Carlsbad High School Tuesday afternoon.

At least the runs served up by both teams would have looked somewhat appropriate that way.

First, Rancho Buena Vista was given a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning, thanks to three errors and a wild pitch. Then, the Longhorns decided in the bottom of the eighth that it was better to give than receive and handed back two runs.

Carlsbad accepted graciously and came away with a 3-2 victory in the Avocado League opener for both teams.

Carlsbad had tied the score, 1-1, in the bottom of the sixth, then allowed RBV to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the first extra inning.

The bottom of the eighth: RBV starter Robert McLeod struck out Buck Taylor to open the inning, but the next batter, opposing pitcher Jeff Myers, reached first on a fielding error by shortstop Jason Schmeiser. McLeod then walked Jeff Westbay and followed that by hitting Jeff Jarrard in the knee to load the bases.

While RBV Coach Steve Hargrave reminded the home plate umpire that the rules state a batter must try to avoid being hit by a pitch--which, Hargrave contended, Jarrard did not do--Carlsbad Coach Joe Pimental was busy putting on the suicide squeeze.

Up stepped sophomore shortstop Brian Vasey, who had committed two of the errors that led to Rancho’s first run, with a chance to redeem himself.

He did. His squeeze bunt rolled just to the left of the mound and gave McLeod no chance to throw out Myers coming in from third. McLeod’s only choice was to throw to first, but second baseman Steve Valencia was late covering.

So McLeod pumped once before noticing Valencia was not near the bag, then let go of a wild throw which found its way down the right-field line, allowing Westbay to cross the plate with the winning run.

“We’re proud of Brian Vasey,” Myers said. “He came through for us. You can’t ask for more than that from a kid who made a couple errors. He kicked himself in the butt and said, ‘Brian, you’ve got to get going.’ ”

Vasey’s errors, and the two others committed by the Lancers, were nothing new. They say they spent the preseason booting away games.

What is new is the way they stayed in this one.

“We made some mental errors,” Pimental said. “But we hung in there.”