San Pedro Holds Off Charge by Banning : Baseball: Pirates avenge loss to Pilots on Monday to retain hold on first place in Southern Pacific Conference.

San Pedro’s baseball team has relied on the big inning this season because a lack of team speed often prevents it from scrapping for runs.

True to form, San Pedro scored early and held off Banning, 5-4, Wednesday at Banning. The victory avenged a loss to the Pilots Monday and helped the Pirates retain their hold on first place in the Southern Pacific Conference.

San Pedro (14-3, 11-1 in conference play) scored all of its runs in the first two innings off Banning starter Nick Kavathos (2-3). Although Pilot reliever Mario Soto pitched well in relief, holding the Pirates to no runs and only three hits in 5 2/3 innings, the damage was already done.

“We play for the big inning and today we got one,” San Pedro Coach Jerry Lavarov said.

Banning scored twice in the third and twice in the fifth against San Pedro starter Larry Cannon. But reliever Eligio Lopez got Cannon out of further trouble in the fifth and pitched the sixth and seventh to earn his fourth save.

“Coach Lavarov has confidence in me, and that’s a good feeling,” said Lopez, who pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings.

Banning (10-7, 8-3) had won at San Pedro on Monday, 4-1, on a three-hitter by pitcher Carlos Garibay and could have pulled even in the loss column with a victory.

Carson (8-2) is alone in second place in the conference.

Once again, the Pilots couldn’t find a way to win when Garibay, who is 8-1 with an earned-run average below 1.00, isn’t pitching.

“I can’t explain it,” Banning Coach Syl Saavedra said. “When we play with anyone else besides Garibay pitching, our guys go in with the mind-set that we’re going to lose. It’s a matter of, ‘How bad are we going to lose today.’ ”

San Pedro scored four runs in the second on five singles, including a hit to center by Louie Montes De Oca that drove in two runs. Reno Marconi also had a run-scoring single in the inning.

After that, San Pedro’s bats went silent. But Banning, unlike San Pedro, seldom has a big inning, and their piece-by-piece rally fell short.

“I’m tired of using inexperience as an excuse,” Saavedra said. “We have a better team than we are showing. But we can’t afford to lose anymore.”

Banning has remaining games with Carson and San Pedro. Carson and San Pedro play home-and-home games next week.

St. Bernard 4, Notre Dame 3--Notre Dame scored three seventh-inning runs--with the help of two walks--to give junior left-hander Chris Garza his first loss in a Mission League game at Notre Dame.

Garza (8-1) walked nine and hit a batter. He walked Derrick Smith--St. Bernard’s ninth batter in the lineup--to lead off the seventh. A double, sacrifice fly, walk and double later, St. Bernard lead, 4-3.

Paul Lopez and Robert Cox doubled for St. Bernard (12-9-1, 5-3).

Jimmy Landress went two for four with two RBIs for Notre Dame. He hit a two-run double to score Dave Supple and Francisco Dongo, giving Notre Dame (12-6-1, 6-2) a 2-1 lead in the fourth.

Supple’s single scored Cesar Martinez to make it 3-1 in the sixth.