HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP : Mistakes Cost El Camino Chance to Keep Carlsbad Down

El Camino, still looking for its first San Diego Section playoff berth after 14 years of trying, and Carlsbad, the defending 2-A section champions, had reversed roles all season.

Entering Wednesday’s game at El Camino, the host team was only a half-game behind first-place Oceanside in the Avocado League, tied for second with San Pasqual. Carlsbad had lost its first five league games and sat alone in last.

But this was a case in which the more things had changed, the more they had stayed the same.

The Wildcats kicked the ball around, ran themselves out of big inning after big inning and handed Carlsbad its first league victory, 7-4.

El Camino (9-8, 3-2) made four physical errors in addition to another several mental ones, allowing Carlsbad (9-12, 1-5) to score three unearned runs. Five Wildcat runners were thrown out. One was picked off, another was thrown out trying to take an extra base after a single, and three more were shot down by Paul Harrold, Carlsbad’s sophomore catcher, on botched hit-and-run plays.

El Camino Coach Adrian Leon said his aggressive running game, which was used even with his team four runs down in the seventh, had been working most of the year.

“The batters just weren’t making contact,” Leon said. “It’s not our style to sit back and lie down.”

Even with all its troubles, El Camino trailed by just 3-2 going into the sixth. But Brian Black’s seventh homer of the year, off El Camino center fielder Kevin Knudson’s glove, and Jeff Jarrard’s RBI double gave Carlsbad a 5-2 lead. Bobby Womble’s run-scoring single closed it to 5-3, but Carlsbad scored twice in the seventh without the aid of a hit.

Martin Arispe, who replaced El Camino starter J.T. Patton (3-4), walked the first two batters he faced. Then, Shad Cotton, who relieved Arispe, made a wild throw to first on a bunt, allowing both runners to score. The second run scored when El Camino infielders misplayed a rundown situation.

El Camino now gets a shot at the league leaders, playing Oceanside (4-2 after a 9-1 loss to San Marcos) Friday and San Pasqual (4-1) Saturday in a makeup game.