Palmdale Makes Canyon Pay for Mistakes, 11-9

Call it luck.

Call it scrappiness.

Call it anything you want, but be sure of one thing: If opposing teams make a mistake against the Palmdale High baseball team, the Falcons are going to make them pay for it.

Canyon bore witness to that Tuesday as the host Cowboys collected four more hits than Palmdale but committed four errors and allowed six unearned runs in the Falcons’ 11-9 Golden League win.

The victory kept Palmdale (11-6, 8-4 in league play) in a first-place tie with Saugus. Both teams have three games remaining in the regular season.

The loss dropped Canyon (11-8-1, 6-6) into fourth.

“Every time we’re down, we come back hard,” said sophomore pitcher Joe Garcia, who earned his second save for Palmdale. “We’ve been doing it all year.”

Palmdale, attempting to win its first Golden League title since 1980, trailed, 5-1, after two innings. But the Falcons scored the next 10 runs to take an 11-5 lead after 4 1/2 before withstanding a late Cowboy rally to win.

Canyon had runners at first and third with two out in the seventh, but Garcia struck out Chris Stark (who had two doubles, one run batted in) on a low, outside fastball to end the game.

“I think this game tells you something about the Golden League,” Palmdale Coach Kent Bothwell said. “It’s very balanced this year with a lot of good teams.”

Trailing, 5-1, Palmdale scored four runs (two unearned) in the third to tie the score, then added two runs in the fourth and four (three unearned) in the fifth.

The third inning dramatized Canyon’s fielding woes and Palmdale’s ability to capitalize on them.

Jason Rose led off with a bunt single and went to second when shortstop Greg Hamm dropped second baseman Oscar Silva’s throw, which could have started a double play.

After Chris Tampoya walked to load the bases, Travis Wilson singled in two runs, sending Tampoya to third.

Wilson then stole second and, after Tampoya came home on a passed ball, scored on Ryan Herman’s bunt.