SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION 4-A BASEBALL PLAYOFFS : Canyon’s Casagranda Mystifies Mission Viejo

Canyon High School pitcher Mike Casagranda isn’t an imposing figure on the mound and his soft pitches don’t attract major league scouts with radar guns.

But the 5-foot-9, 130-pound left-hander mystified Mission Viejo in Canyon’s 3-2 victory in the opening round of the Southern Section 4-A baseball playoffs Friday.

Canyon will face Buena Tuesday at a site to be determined.

Casagranda (6-1) struck out five, walked one and allowed eight hits to propel the Comanches (13-12-1) over a Mission Viejo team (11-12-1) that came into the game with a three-game winning streak.

“He’s a really tough pitcher,” Mission Viejo Coach Ron Drake said. “Canyon played very well today. They’re a very good team.”

Drake also lauded his pitcher, Steve Evans (7-6), who struck out five, walked two and yielded only one earned run. “I thought Steve pitched awfully well today,” Drake said.

Chris Snitko’s attempted sacrifice bunt in the fourth inning opened the door for two unearned Canyon runs that gave the Comanches a 2-1 lead. Lee Torres scored from first base and Snitko took third when Mission Viejo first baseman Don Disbro was unable to handle the throw from home plate and the ball bounced into right field.

Snitko scored on Steve Evans’ wild pitch.

Canyon padded the lead in the fifth inning after Bob Thompson singled to center and stole second, despite a pitchout. Greg Tippin’s single to left scored Thompson for the deciding run.

Thompson was playing with severe arm lacerations he received in an auto accident last Friday. “Thompson really gives us a lift in the lineup,” Canyon Coach Hi Lavalle said.

Mission Viejo threatened in the seventh inning, when Kurt Newhausen led off with a double to center and scored on Rick Marian’s single to right. Disbro singled to put the go-ahead run on first, but Casagranda got Rob Gattis to ground to second to squelch the rally.