El Camino Real Tops Carson in One for the Book : City Section baseball: Scorer’s decision deprives left-hander Randy Wolf of a no-hitter in 9-0 quarterfinal victory.

Randy Wolf pitched his second playoff no-hitter and third of his career to lead El Camino Real High to a 9-0 victory over host Carson in the quarterfinals of the City Section 4-A Division playoffs Wednesday.

Or did he?

Wolf’s teammates mobbed him after he finished the game with his 15th strikeout, but only a few minutes later did he get the bad news.

“What?” he said. “They called that a hit?”

It seems the Carson scorekeeper--and the home team’s scorekeeper is official--ruled a hit on a first-inning play the El Camino Real scorer ruled an error. Ironically, it was a ball hit to Wolf.

The third Carson batter of the game, speedy Eric Burris, hit a high chopper in front of the plate on the first base side.

Wolf came off the mound to field the ball, but he bobbled it and couldn’t get off a good throw. Burris was safe.

“When I went to get it out of my glove, I couldn’t,” said Wolf, a senior left-hander.

Wolf (10-3), last year’s City 4-A player of the year, didn’t realize the Colt scorer had given Burris a hit. He assumed it was an error, and that’s how El Camino Real Coach Mike Maio saw the play.

“We have it scored as an error,” Maio said. “I don’t know how it could (be a hit). He dropped the ball.”

The third-seeded Colts (19-13) came close to a hit on only one other play, when Louis Valenzuela hit a one-hopper that sailed past third baseman Gavin Bible’s glove. Both scorers agreed that was an error.

“According to me, (it’s a no-hitter),” Maio said, “but I’m not the official scorer. I’m not going to debate it right now because I have to worry about who we play next.”

El Camino Real (21-7) will face Kennedy, a 17-4 winner over second-seeded Sylmar, in the semifinals Friday.

Had Wolf’s no-hitter stood up, it would have been his third. He no-hit Van Nuys in his final regular-season start last year and he pitched a perfect game against Banning in his next start, in the 4-A quarterfinals.

Whether it was a no-hitter or a one-hitter, it was enough to impress Carson Coach Mike Kline.

“He was everything I’d heard he was,” Kline said. “We were just hoping our guy could match up and keep us in there.”

Carson starter Scott McClaskey (11-4) pitched three innings. He gave up four runs and Cesar Gallardo then gave up five more.

El Camino Real’s 12-hit offensive attack was led by catcher Steve Riback, who had three hits and three runs batted in. Leadoff batter Justin Martin had two hits and scored three runs. Matt Tays and Craig Carlton also had two hits each.

Pitching with a comfortable lead, Wolf was uncharacteristically wild, though. He walked five batters and hit one.

He also had to endure more controversy in the sixth inning.

With two out and runners at first and second, Valenzuela checked his swing with two strikes. On an appeal, the first base umpire ruled that Valenzuela did not go around, prompting Maio to come out of the dugout to argue.

While Maio argued, the runners each tried to take an extra base, but Riback threw to second, where Joey Maiden tagged runner Maurice Molette.

The umpires first ruled that was the third out, and the Colts took the field. But after conferring, the umpires decided that the home plate umpire had called time out when Maio left the dugout to argue, so the Conquistadores took the field again.

Wolf didn’t lose his composure, though. On his first pitch after the umpires had called him back onto the mound, he struck out Valenzuela looking.

He then struck out the side in the seventh.

“I was a little bit (nervous) on that last pitch,” he said, “but I guess it doesn’t mean anything now.”

Postseason Pay Dirt

The record of El Camino Real left-hander Randy Wolf, above, in the City Section 4-A baseball playoffs the last two seasons:

Date Opponent Result IP H ER BB K 5/27/93 Banning (W, 6-0, City quarterfinal) 7 0 0 0 9 6/1/93 Monroe (W, 6-0, City semifinal) 7 3 0 1 12 6/3/93 Chatsworth (W, 7-6, City final)** 2 2 1 0 2 5/27/94 Monroe (W, 10-1, City first round) 7 5 1 3 14 6/1/94 Carson (W, 9-0, City quarterfinal) 7 1 0 5 15

** -- Wolf earned a save.