SOUTHERN SECTION 4-A BASEBALL PLAYOFFS : Troy Wins by Swinging for Infield, Not Outfield

At Troy High School, where the fences are close enough to turn lazy fly balls into home runs, big swings tend to overshadow the minor details.

But Friday, the Warriors paid attention to details in a 5-3 victory over Covina in a Southern Section 4-A quarterfinal game.

Three infield hits, including two bunt singles, helped Troy score four runs and erase a 2-1 deficit in the fourth inning.

Dane Ilertsen, Troy’s first-year coach, likes to make the subtle parts of practice--like bunting drills--fun for his players.

“In this ballpark, you’ve got to do what you can to make bunting exciting for the kids,” Ilertsen said. “So we make it a game for them.”

In practice, Ilertsen lays out a tarp, then twists hoses into circles on top of it. Players who bunt onto the tarp get a soda, two sodas if they bunt into the big circle, and three if they hit into the bull’s-eye.

Troy’s sluggers were on target Friday. After Matt Carter beat out a grounder to lead off the fourth, Tim Hostetler--a 6-foot-2 outfielder--dropped a bunt down the third base line and beat the throw.

Chris Case, who stands 6-4, followed with another bunt, and Carter scored when Covina pitcher John Flynn threw wildly to first.

Then Troy’s Jason Gudzunas cleared the bases with a double to the left-field wall. He scored on Guy Pinelli’s single up the middle, giving Troy a 5-2 lead.

The Warriors (17-9) will face either South Hills in the semifinals Tuesday. Covina finished the season at 20-9.

Troy, the Freeway League champions, had a 10-game winning streak broken by Fullerton in the league final. The Warriors have won three consecutive games since the loss.

“Now we only need to win two more,” Ilertsen said. “Five in a row is a lot easier to do than 10 in a row.”

Pinelli, a left-hander, gave up one earned run in 6 1/3 innings. Greg Windle, a junior left-hander who missed much of the season with tendinitis in his shoulder, gave up a run in the seventh but earned the save.

Troy catcher Steve Friedrich led off the bottom of the first with a home run to left-center. Second baseman Ryan Russell backed Pinelli and Windle with several nice plays. Russell robbed Covina’s Gabe Rodriguez of a hit in the first, started a double play to bail Pinelli out of trouble in the fifth. Russell also caught Andrew Paredes’ line drive in the sixth and threw to first to double up Rollo Barrios.