HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP : San Pasqual Wins in 11th to Nail Down Avocado League Championship

Tim Young was an unlikely hero Wednesday in San Pasqual’s 6-5, 11-inning victory over visiting Oceanside, which clinched the Avocado League title.

But he was a worthy one.

Earlier in the day, Young invited his friends to attend but said: “I won’t be playing today, but it will still be a good game.”

Sure enough, when San Pasqual starter Bobby Cummings began to struggle in the third, Young replaced him.

With San Pasqual trailing, 4-2, Young induced Oceanside’s Mel Douglas to ground into a double play, though Oceanside scored its fifth run.

Young then proceeded to keep his team in the game by throwing six shutout innings with just two walks and three strikeouts.

Although he entered the season as San Pasqual’s No. 2 starter, control problems sent Young to the bullpen.

“When it comes to Timmy, you sort of take it one inning at a time,” San Pasqual Coach Bill McCallister said. “He’s performing now like I hoped he would all season long.”

When Young was relieved by Dave Vejtasa to start the ninth, he stayed in the game to play first base. Three innings later, he walked and scored the winning run from first when first baseman Kenya Hunt threw Eric Marsh’s sacrifice bunt into center field and through the legs of Oceanside center fielder Terry Vaughn.

“I saw the ball go through the center fielder’s legs, but I didn’t think it went that far behind him,” Young said. “Then all of a sudden I saw coach (McCallister) waving his arms like a crazy man.”

If Young’s story was unlikely, San Pasqual’s was even unlikelier. The Eagles finished their preleague season 3-8-1 but have won nine of their 11 league games to win the Avocado title.

Sixth-ranked Oceanside (20-8-1, 8-3) is just a game back of San Pasqual (12-10-1) but are out of contention after being swept by the Eagles.

“We fought back today, but that’s been our whole season,” Young said. “After our start, we just wanted to make the playoffs--just win a league game.”

The Avocado League title was the first for McCallister and the first for San Pasqual since 1985.

“We’re talking about a bunch of kids selling themselves out to do the right thing,” McCallister said. “It’s certainly nothing I’ve done.”

Oceanside starter Andrew Acevedo, who pitched his second 10-inning game of the year, gave way in the 11th to Saul Gutierrez, who took the loss.

After trailing 5-2, San Pasqual tied it on Marin Soto’s two-run homer in the third and Ben Duncan’s RBI single in the fifth. Duncan finished four for five with two RBIs. Oceanside had a runner on third in the ninth, but shortstop Dave Goss’ running catch of Hunt’s blooper ended the inning.