SOUTHERN SECTION 5-A BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP : Janicki Settles Into Groove, Unsettles Millikan for Third Playoff Victory

A couple days ago, El Dorado High School’s Pete Janicki found out he would be pitching against Millikan for the Southern Section 5-A baseball title Saturday night in Dodger Stadium.

He tried to approach it as he would any other start. All he wanted to do was relax, and get into a good grove early.

“It was like any other game,” he said. “I felt the same as always.”

Janicki, a senior right-hander, also did pretty much the same as always--pitch very well.

He pitched a three-hit shutout with four strikeouts and no walks as El Dorado won, 2-0. His only real mistake was a hit batter in the second inning.

“I was just shooting the ball all over the place at first,” Janicki said. “But then I settled down. All three of my pitches (fastball, curveball and split-finger fastball) seemed to work pretty well after that.”

It was the third victory in the playoffs for Janicki, who ends 8-1. He had 92 strikeouts in 82 1/3 innings this season. Janicki also had victories over Nogales and Lakewood in the playoffs, and pitched seven-plus innings but got no decision in the eight-inning, 3-2 victory over Mater Dei.

He pitched 4 2/3 innings of relief as El Dorado defeated Lakewood, 3-2, also in eight innings Tuesday in one semifinal game.

But, he was as strong as ever Saturday.

“I felt fine the whole game,” Janicki said. “I don’t know why, but I was throwing a lot harder in the playoffs than during the season.”

Janicki was only in trouble once Saturday. Millikan got its first two runners on in the sixth inning.

El Dorado had scored in the fifth to take a 1-0 lead, but Shawn Ferguson chopped a ball down the third-base line and beat it out for a single to start the sixth.

Aaron Seja then sacrificed and reached on a throwing error by El Dorado catcher Bruce Petillo, leaving runners on first and second.

El Dorado Coach Steve Gullotti then made his first visit to the mound.

“I just wanted to ask him if he was tired,” Gullotti said. “Then I just told him to relax and have some fun.”

But Janicki got Todd Taylor to ground into a double play, and got Dante Powell to ground out to end the inning.

“All I wanted to get was a ground ball,” Janicki said of the sixth-inning jam. “I knew if we did then we had the defense to get the double play.”

El Dorado also turned a double play to end the fourth.

Janicki fell behind, two balls and no strikes, to Scott Thielman to start the seventh and Gullotti was on his way to the mound again.

After the same set of questions and answers, Janicki came back to strike out Thielman.

He got the final two hitters to ground out and the celebration began with Janicki in the center of it.

“This was what we have wanted for for a long time,” Janicki said. “We’ve been working hard to get this chance.”

Maybe it wasn’t just another game after all.