Banning’s Busby Beaten by Blooper

David Rojas’ game-winning single might not meet Mike Busby’s standards for an honest-to-goodness hit, but San Fernando High’s City Section 4-A Division championship is nothing short of the genuine article.

San Fernando rallied with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat the Pilots, 3-2, at Dodger Stadium and hand Busby his first loss in 12 decisions.

Busby, who relieved starter Mark Chavez with one out in the sixth and San Fernando leading, 2-1, gave up a bloop single to shallow right-center field to Rojas, who drove in Abel Barajas from third with the winning run.

“It was an outside fastball,” Busby said of his last pitch. “It was right where I wanted it. (Rojas) swung late. It was just one of those things.

“I don’t consider it a hit, but they won the game.”

San Fernando outhit Banning, 6-5. That’s three more hits than Busby and Chavez had allowed in pitching complete games through the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Friday night’s game-winning run was the first earned run Busby had given up in the postseason after hurling a no-hitter against Van Nuys in the first round and a two-hitter Tuesday in a 5-1 semifinal victory over Poly.

“It’s a shame,” Busby said. “I pitched it where I wanted it, and it just fell in.”

Busby was making his first relief appearance of the season. He came into the game having thrown 11 complete games and carrying a heady 0.59 earned-run average.

“I’m not used to it,” Busby said of coming out of the bullpen. “Plus, with all these people here, it shook me up. But that’s no excuse for me. I did the job in the first inning I went in.”

With San Fernando clinging to a one-run lead, Busby relieved Chavez with one out and runners at first and second in the sixth. After walking the bases loaded, though, the 6-foot-4 right-hander got out of the inning with two strikeouts.

He wasn’t as fortunate in the seventh. His undoing, as it turned out, was hitting the leadoff batter, Barajas, with a pitch, and giving him second base on a wild pitch.

A sacrifice bunt advanced Barajas to third and, with the infielders on the grass and the threat of a squeeze bunt looming, Busby induced Ethan Rodriguez to ground out to second. Rojas followed with his single.

Valley teams have won every City major-division baseball title since 1973. For a while, it appeared as though Banning would break that string.

But it turned out Rojas broke Busby with a blooper.