Duran Shines, Fillmore Shares League Title

Fillmore High junior right-hander Jaime Duran has become the most celebrated pitcher in the Frontier League.

On Friday, the Flashes did some celebrating because of what Duran did with the bat.

Fillmore and Santa Clara were deadlocked heading into the bottom of the eighth inning at Fillmore. Then Duran blasted Eric Starna’s first pitch to the left-field fence for a triple. He scored when shortstop Armando Maciel’s relay throw bounced past third base, giving the Flashes a 4-3 victory and a share of the league title with Santa Clara.

“That was the farthest I’ve hit the ball this year,” Duran said. “I tried to get on base. That’s all I wanted to do.”

After the game, Fillmore (14-4-1, 8-3-1 in league play) won a coin toss to determine which team would function as the league’s No. 1 team during the playoffs.

Santa Clara is 12-6-1, 8-3-1.

“I tip my hat to Jaime Duran,” Santa Clara Coach John Wood said. “He’s got my vote for MVP in this league.”

Duran (8-1) struck out four, walked two and allowed seven hits and two earned runs.

“I didn’t think that was Jaime’s best game,” Fillmore Coach Tom Ecklund said. “But he pitched hard and stayed in there.

“He was nervous, and when Jaime’s nervous he doesn’t pitch well.”

Duran outdueled Starna (6-3), who struck out three, walked five and allowed nine hits and two earned runs.

Duran tripled over the head of left fielder Sergio Haros, who relayed to Maciel. A good throw might have retired Duran at third, but Maciel’s relay skipped into foul territory and Duran scored.

The teams exchanged runs in the seventh. Eric Rios’ single drove in Fernando Garcia, who had walked, to give Santa Clara a short-lived lead.

Fillmore tied the score in the bottom of the inning when Ryan Satterfield’s ground-rule double drove in Louie Garza.

Santa Clara center fielder Justin Villa dived for Satterfield’s line drive. He missed and the ball rolled all the way to the fence, where it became tangled in shrubbery. Garza was awarded home.