HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL : Taft Tops Grant, 7-1, in City 4-A Division Wild-Card Play

Taft capitalized on three two-out rally innings to beat Grant, 7-1, Monday in a wild-card baseball game of the City Section 4-A Division playoffs at Grant.

The Toreadors (8-18), who finished third in the West Valley League, will play Sylmar in the first round on Wednesday. Grant, the East Valley League’s third-place team, finished 11-14.

The Toreadors, who had seven hits, scored three runs in the first inning, one in the second and two in the fourth. Each run was scored with two out.

In the first, Taft capitalized on two errors, two walks and Jason Biller’s infield hit to take a 3-0 lead. John Erganian hit a two-run homer in the fourth, ripping a 0-1 pitch over the right-field fence.

Greg Rosenzweig, who doubled twice and scored three times, went three for four and knocked in Taft’s final run in the sixth.

Four Taft pitchers combined on a three-hitter, but the quartet looked shaky throughout, walking nine batters and hitting two others.

Grant took advantage of the freebies only once. Taft relief pitcher Justin Siegal worked himself into a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth inning. After striking out the next two batters, Siegal hit Jose Velazquez in the foot to force in the Lancers’ only run.

Taft starter Nathan Voytek (6-1) allowed two hits and two walks in three innings, before being relieved by Dan Widman in the fourth. Siegal came on in the sixth, and Mike Krasner pitched to one batter in the seventh.