5-A BASEBALL : West Covina’s Rally Is No Laughing Matter for Ocean View

Just before Tuesday’s game at West Covina High School in the second round of the Southern Section 5-A baseball playoffs, Ocean View Coach Steve Barrett was grinning as he sat in the dugout talking to a visitor.

“That’s the first--and last--time you’ll see Barrett smiling today,” one of his players said. He didn’t know how right he was.

Wasting a grand slam by first baseman Eric Schaff and 13 strikeouts by pitchers Duane Page (10-2) and Jim Gwaltney, the Seahawks (21-7) lost a frustrating 9-8 decision in nine innings. Page was ejected for arguing with an umpire in the ninth, and an equally upset Barrett almost went with him.

“Get out of here!” the coach growled at reporters after Ocean View reliever Randy Karliner gave up a bases-loaded single to pitcher Mike Pineiro (4-2) to break an 8-8 tie and end the game.

The Seahawks led, 8-6, with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the seventh. But the Bulldogs (19-6) used three straight singles, a double steal and an error to score two runs and send the game into extra innings.

In the top of the ninth, Ocean View stranded designated hitter Rich Jones, who had singled with one out. Controversy erupted in the bottom half.

With Page on the mound, in his second stint of the day, left fielder Jon Patton reached first on a strike-three wild pitch. After Patton stole second, the Seahawks carried out what appeared to be perfect execution of the hidden-ball trick.

Second baseman Gilbert Gonzalez clearly tagged Patton off the base, but the three-man umpiring crew made no initial call. After conferring, they ruled that time was out when Gonzalez tagged Patton.

“When I tagged him, (the second base umpire) was looking right at me,” Gonzalez said. “He didn’t call timeout or anything.

“(The game) was in play, and I tagged him out. He was scared to make the call.”

Emotions were still high when the next batter bunted back to the pitcher. Page threw to third base, but Patton was called safe on a close play.

Barrett and several Ocean View players protested, and Page was ejected from the game.

An intentional walk preceded Pineiro’s game-winning hit.

After trailing 2-0 in the first inning, Schaff’s bases-loaded home run in the third put the Seahawks ahead, 5-2. A solo shot by Karliner in the fifth gave them an 8-4 lead. Jones and center fielder John Arnold each had two hits.