Monroe Beats San Fernando on Bad-Hop Hit

One coach called it a hit and the other an error, but in the end it was all it took for the San Fernando High baseball team to call it a season.

Monroe took advantage of a bases-loaded, bad-hop single in the third inning to beat the Tigers, 2-0, in a City Section 4-A Division quarterfinal game Thursday at Monroe.

The Vikings (20-4) will face El Camino Real in the semifinals Tuesday. San Fernando finished 12-11-1.

Monroe right-hander Jorge Dorado (8-0) went the distance and allowed only three hits. He struck out seven and walked three, and was never in serious trouble.

Only two Tiger runners reached second base, one on a ground-rule double over the left-center-field fence by Javier Lozano in the fourth inning.

“(Dorado) had good movement on his fastball,” Monroe Coach Kevin Campbell said. “He’s as tough as they come. . . . I always feel comfortable with him out there.”

Dorado and left-hander Jorge Gonzales (1-3) were in a scoreless duel until the bottom of the third, when the Vikings scrambled for their runs.

Second baseman Jaime Dorado led off with a walk that chased Gonzales and brought on right-hander Ray Rivera.

Dorado moved to second on a one-out single to left by Jorge Dorado and catcher John Shellabarger grounded to second, advancing the runners.

With first base open and two out, Tiger Coach Steve Marden opted to intentionally walk first baseman Joel Zamudio, Monroe’s third-leading batter in the regular season, and pitch to right fielder Darrell Folck.

Folck, however, smashed a grounder up the middle that took a high hop over sophomore shortstop Javier Barragan and went into left-center field, scoring the Dorado brothers.

“That’s a play you have to make,” said Marden, who thought Barragan should have been more aggressive fielding the ball and called it an error.

“We walked Zamudio because we have a lot of respect for him. We got the ground ball we were looking for.”

Campbell, who kept the official book as home team, called it a hit. But he wished the Vikings would have picked up more than the five they collected. Some additional runs also would have helped.

“It’s always nice to score a little more,” Campbell said. “(San Fernando) played well defensively.”

Left-fielder Eddie Rojo was two for two with a double and a walk for Monroe, and center fielder Juan Navarro had a bunt single.