PREP BASEBALL / CITY SEMIFINALS : Poly Edges Chatsworth for 15th Consecutive Win

White knuckles, red knuckles and a knuckleball pitcher spelled another trip to Dodger Stadium for the Poly High baseball team, which defeated Chatsworth, 3-2, in a City Section 4-A Division semifinal Monday before an overflow crowd at Birmingham High.

White knuckles belonged to Poly Coach Jerry Cord, who gripped the dugout rail as his team sweated out a two-run Chatsworth rally in the top of the seventh.

The knuckleballer was Poly relief pitcher Allen Alegria, who retired Mark Lopez with runners on first and second for the final out.

The pink knuckles belonged to starting pitcher Eric Diaz (11-2) and catcher Steve Chavez, who slammed fists after every successful inning.

“Me and Steve started that in the playoffs,” Diaz said, gesturing with a wave of a clenched fist. “He went up to me like this . Then he said ‘No, do it like that .’ ”

The Mash Brothers became Gnash Brothers when Chatsworth (17-11) nearly stole their thunder in the seventh. Diaz was chased in favor of left-hander Alegria, who recorded his first save and was immediately buried in a human dog pile.

The victory marked the third consecutive one-run decision in postseason play for top-seeded Poly and was Diaz’s third win in as many games. Poly (21-4) has won 15 games in a row and will face sixth-seeded San Pedro--a 7-6 winner over second-seeded University in eight innings--in the final Wednesday night at 7:30 at Dodger Stadium. San Pedro also is 21-4. Poly also appeared in the 1978 and ’87 championship games but lost both times.

Diaz surrendered some loud outs, but did not allow a hit until Matt LaCour singled with one out in the sixth. LaCour, however, was promptly erased when his younger brother Bryan grounded into a double play, one of two turned by the Poly defense.

With Poly leading, 3-0, in the seventh, Diaz yielded a leadoff single to Eddie Ramos. One out later, Brandon Nickens walked and Diaz wild-pitched the runners up a base.

With Matt Gorman at the plate, Diaz balked home Ramos to bring Chatsworth within 3-1. Gorman followed with a fly ball to short left that was caught by shortstop Frank Medina, who heaved the ball to the base of the Poly dugout along the first-base line. Nickens scored easily from third on the error to bring Chatsworth within a run.

“I don’t know who that was to,” Cord said. “But I sure didn’t want it.”

Doug Dean and pinch-hitter Ryan Mort walked and Cord waved in Alegria to make his first unscheduled relief appearance. Alegria retired Lopez, Chatsworth’s leadoff batter, with a 1-and-1 fastball.

“I usually throw junk,” Alegria admitted with a cheesy grin. “But my fastball felt good out there today.”

Poly felt great upon taking a 2-0 lead in the fourth off Nickens, who faced the minimum over the first three innings. Diaz put Poly on the scoreboard with a run-scoring single to left and scored when pinch-hitter Pascual Munguia drew a bases-loaded walk.

Poly added a big run in the sixth when Francisco Flores (two hits) scored on a wild pitch by reliever Eric Holliday. Flores started the rally with an opposite-field single to left on an 0-and-2 pitch from Nickens (7-3).