Top-Seeded Poly Falls in 12 Innings

Taft High scored six unearned runs, including one in the top of the 12th inning, to shock top-seeded Poly, 7-6, in the first round Friday of the City Section 4-A Division baseball playoffs.

Poly, which originally was scheduled to play North Hollywood before a last-minute switch by City officials, finished 22-4.

“It was North Hollywood when we left the meeting last week. It was set,” Poly Coach Jerry Cord said. “I found out Thursday we were playing Taft.”

Brett Reisner led off the 12th for Taft (12-14-1) with a single against Raul Torres (5-2). Reisner stole second, was sacrificed to third by John Erganian and scored when Roy Lozano bobbled Carey Wilbur’s grounder for an error.

Poly, which rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the score, 6-6, was retired in order in the bottom of the 12th by Benji Belfield (5-1), who allowed three hits and one run over the final 6 1/3 innings.

“This is unreal. It was nuts, absolute craziness,” Taft assistant Coach Steve Singer said.