Roman’s Hit Boosts Rio Mesa Past Hart

The sun was beginning to set on the strawberry-covered Oxnard plain Friday when Rio Mesa High’s best batter, Vince Roman, stepped to the plate against Hart’s best pitcher, Luis Sanchez.

It was late and cooling off, with the wind from the coast getting stronger. But nobody in the crowd at Rio Mesa seemed to mind. This matchup was a fitting climax to a three-hour pitching display in a Southern Section Division II quarterfinal.

With runners at second and third base and two out in the bottom of the ninth, Sanchez wound up and delivered a tailing fastball that appeared to catch the outside corner.

Umpire Steve Bommarito called the pitch a ball. Sanchez winced.

With the count 1-and-0, he feared falling further behind Roman. Sanchez wound up and threw another fastball, this one over the middle of the plate. Roman was ready for it.

The Rio Mesa designated hitter slapped a hard grounder up the middle just beyond the glove of shortstop Chad Ott. Pinch-runner Brian Normington raced home with the game’s only run--it was unearned.

The 1-0 victory sends the Spartans (21-6) to Tuesday’s semifinals against Riverside J.W. North, which defeated Moreno Valley Valley View, 14-12, Friday.

“I fully thought it was a strike,” said Sanchez (7-2, 2.50 earned-run average) of his next-to-last pitch to Roman. “That made me throw another cut fastball on the next pitch, but more over the plate.”

Roman, who batted .500 during the regular season, had struck out in his three previous at-bats Friday.

“I expected him to go right after me,” Roman said. “The first pitch didn’t look good, but the one I hit was a fastball over the plate. That’s what I was looking for.”

Spartan junior left-hander Richard Soliz (8-1) pitched a five-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and three walks. It was his third complete game in as many starts.

Hart senior left-hander Eric Spindt struck out eight, walked four and allowed two hits through 6 1/3 innings before giving way to freshman left-hander Bobby Graves.

With one out and runners at first and second, Graves picked Eric Flores off first base and struck out Roman on a full-count curveball.

But Graves (2-1), who suffered the loss, was lifted with none out in the ninth after he walked Chad Snyder and threw wildly to first on a sacrifice bunt by Manuel Perez.

Rio Mesa sent in Normington to run for Snyder at second base and Hart summoned Sanchez, who pitched a three-hit shutout against Beverly Hills on Tuesday. Sanchez got Donald DiDomizio on a grounder to short with the runners moving to second and third. He then struck out Flores before facing Roman.

“This was the best game I ever played in and this is by far my best pitching effort,” said Soliz, who yielded three hits in the first two innings when Hart (21-6) stranded four of its eight base runners.

“I wasn’t going to end after the ninth inning. I was ready to go for the 10th.”