4-A QUARTERFINALS : Savanna’s Upset Ends Career of Canyon’s Lavalle

Savanna continued its unlikely run through the Division 4-A baseball playoffs Friday, pounding out 13 hits in an 11-8 upset of Canyon that ended a season and a coaching era.

Hi Lavalle, the only head coach in Canyon baseball history, announced his retirement after the Rebels (15-13) had advanced to Tuesday’s 4-A semifinals against Covina South Hills, a 6-4 winner over Chino Don Lugo. Dan Brede led Savanna with three hits and five runs batted in.

Lavalle, a 34-year coaching veteran who spent 19 years at Canyon, said that after the Century League champion Comanches (19-8-1) played their last league game he decided this would be his last season.

“I made up my mind a long time ago that this was it,” he said.

Lavalle also decided Friday to stick with ace pitcher Matt Wood (8-2), who struggled over 3 1/3 innings in two appearances. After Wood gave up five unearned runs to give Savanna a 5-0 lead, Lavalle brought in reliever Jarrod Kula with one out in the second, and he pitched two scoreless innings.

But after the Comanches tied it, 5-5, with a three-run inning that included Matt Kastelic’s home run, Lavalle put Wood back on the mound in the fourth.

In the sixth, Brede put the game away after Wood loaded the bases and was relieved by Tim Sumner. With Savanna leading, 8-6, Brede cleared the bases with a triple to left-center.

Canyon didn’t quit. First, Kastelic robbed Steve Lindop of a home run in the top of the seventh with a leaping catch in front of the center-field fence. Canyon then scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on two hits and an error. But Steve Krier struck out two of the last three hitters to end the game.