Rancho Santiago One Step From the Title : Baseball: Dons beat Cerritos, 12-4, but teams will play again in championship game.

Rancho Santiago moved within a victory of the State community college baseball title Sunday by scoring eight runs in the ninth to beat Cerritos, 12-4, in the winners’ bracket final of the State tournament in Fresno.

But few Dons were ready to celebrate despite the dramatic victory. They are reserving that for today.

Rancho Santiago needs one victory and Cerritos (39-13) two for the title when they meet at 11 a.m.

Cerritos beat Fresno, 5-2, Sunday to stay alive.

Rancho Santiago was in the same position last season but lost twice to Orange Empire Conference rival Cypress on the final day of the State tournament. The Dons had won the title in 1993.

“After the game my mom wanted to take a team picture,” said Rancho Santiago right fielder Toby Sanchez, who had a key three-run triple. “But today isn’t the time for that. We haven’t won anything yet.”

Rancho Santiago (41-9) scored twice in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead but Cerritos got an unearned run in the eighth to tie it.

Cerritos then went to Jason Marr, the Falcons’ top reliever, to start the ninth.

Brian Carlson started the rally with a single and Marr hit Tony Zuniga. Carlson surprised Cerritos by taking third on a line out to center by Kyle Evans and scored the go-ahead run on a single to center by Ryan Fullerton.

“I took off to see where the throw was going, and when I saw it was going off-line I kept going,” said Carlson, who scored three runs.

Keith Cowley, who had three hits, got jammed but hit a short fly to left for a single to load the bases.

Marr was ahead of Sanchez, no balls and two strikes, but got a breaking pitch up and Sanchez drove it off the center-field fence for a three-run triple and an 8-4 lead.

“I didn’t get my butt into it,” Sanchez said. “It was just a defensive two-strike swing. It feels good to finally clutch up like that. It seems like it’s been since last year that I came through with a big hit.”

Brian LeFevers, who dropped a fly ball in left field that enabled Cerritos to tie it in the eighth, doubled off the left-field wall to drive in Sanchez.

David Schueller added a run-scoring ground out and Zuniga capped the ninth with a two-run double down the left-field line.

“It was like a big fight where you keep knocking each other down,” Rancho Santiago Coach Don Sneddon said. “We finally knocked them down for good in the ninth.”

Brian Martineau (7-1) picked up the victory in relief of starter Luis Estralla.

Estralla gave up three runs and six hits in the first three innings and appeared about ready to come out. But he settled down and eventually retired 10 in a row from the fifth to the eighth innings.

“My stuff wasn’t really that good when I was warming up,” Estralla said. “I just finally started to throw my slider better. I changed speeds on it and they just got themselves out.”

Martineau gave up two hits and struck out one in the final 1 2/3 innings for the victory.

David Mallas added two hits and scored two runs and Fullerton and Cowley scored two runs also for Rancho Santiago.

“I don’t mind being in this position,” Sneddon said about being a victory from the title. “You have to be here to win it.”