Diaz, Poly Stand Up to Kennedy, 1-0

The Kennedy High baseball team was two for three in terms of toppling all things baseball on Thursday, which wasn’t quite good enough.

Golden Cougar players first turned a couple of dugout benches upside-down before their City Section 4-A Division quarterfinal game to ensure that everybody stood throughout the game.

Catcher David Bourne later accidentally flipped Coach Manny Alvarado during infield warm-ups and both ended up in a heap near home plate.

But Kennedy could not upend top-seeded Poly. Behind a four-hitter by right-hander Eric Diaz, Poly held off Kennedy in a 1-0 nail biter before a standing-room-only crowd at Poly.

Poly (20-4) advances to Monday’s semifinal round and will face Chatsworth, a 7-4 winner over Venice on Thursday.

Reeling off one curve after another, Diaz (9-2) baffled Kennedy. He threw nary a fastball and relied on his three varieties of off-speed fare.

“Mostly a lotta curves,” Diaz said by way of explanation. “I couldn’t count on the fastball today.”

Kennedy, seemingly down for the count, mounted a threat in the seventh that had Diaz breaking a sweat for one of the few times in the game. After Diaz had given up only one hit from the second through sixth innings, Rick Nadeau climbed out of an 0-and-2 hole and lined a one-out single to left.

Jason Makohon followed by hitting into a force play and was replaced by pinch-runner Pablo Perez, who swiped second on Diaz’s first offering to No. 6 hitter John Toven. Diaz jumped ahead of Toven, 1-and-2, then recorded his seventh strikeout, on a pitch in the dirt.

After blowing scoring chances in the first two innings, Poly broke through against starter Shawn Carter (1-2) in the third.

With the bases loaded and none out, Orlando Chavarria singled to left to drive in Pascual Munguia. The rally stalled when left-hander Tom Manning restored order. Poly failed to score with the bases loaded and none out in the second.

“I thought that really might cost us later,” Diaz said. “That happens a lot in baseball, you know? Things like that can hurt you in the end.”

Jeff Tagliaferri almost ended Diaz’s shutout in the sixth. With John Davis on first and one out, Tagliaferri sent a high liner toward the right-field corner on a hit-and-run play. But Danny Martinez pulled in the liner and doubled up Davis at first.

“I thought it was out,” Diaz said.

Others weren’t so sure.

“Nah, he didn’t get it all,” Kennedy Coach Manny Alvarado said. “He hit the top half of the ball.”

Just like Poly. Upended for a moment, but not upset.