Kennedy Is Pinto-Driven but El Camino Real Stalls : Baseball: Mood swing of Carson’s Canales keeps Conquistadores from defending their City 4-A title, 1-0.

Tuesday’s City Section 4-A Division baseball semifinal game between El Camino Real and Carson high schools was not for the timid.

Carson sophomore Josh Canales knew; he was one of the meek.

In the fifth inning, Canales, called up from the junior varsity midway through the season, became the third Colt batter to take a called third strike facing Conquistadore pitcher Shaun Fishman.

Canales’ next at-bat, with the winning run at second base and one out in the bottom of the seventh, forced a quick attitude adjustment.

Canales lined Fishman’s first pitch to left field, scoring pinch-runner Danny Rodriguez with the game’s only run after left fielder Byron Carnes bobbled the ball, preventing a play at the plate.

The 1-0 victory at El Camino College puts Carson (23-10) into the 4-A final for the first time since 1977 and eliminated El Camino Real (19-9-1), the two-time defending 4-A champion.

Carson, which has never won a title, could become only the second non-Valley school to win the large-schools title since 1972 if it defeats top-seeded Kennedy on Thursday at Dodger Stadium.

“A lot of us were waiting to get walks or for them to make a mistake early,” Canales said. “But [Fishman] kept hitting his spots and getting the calls. I knew I wasn’t going to have another shot.”

Canales got his chance when Carson catcher Brian Surritt reached safely on a ground ball. El Camino Real shortstop Steve Nelson made a tough stop near second but his throw to first was wide.

Daniel Bercerill attempted a sacrifice to advance Surritt but missed the first pitch and popped the second foul, barely eluding Conquistadore catcher Ray LeDuc.

Rodriguez was sent in to pinch-run for Surritt and Bercerill finally sacrificed, bunting the ball right at Fishman, whose only option was to throw to first.

“We were struggling to get the bunt down,” Carson Coach Mike Kline said. “I had to plan and put Rodriguez in when we had two strikes just in case it didn’t work.”

On his first pitch to Canales, Fishman (7-4) tried the low, outside fastball that had been largely responsible for eight strikeouts.

“I thought about what I was throwing . . . it was a nice pitch,” Fishman said. “He hit it through the hole and scored the run.”

Fishman’s four-hitter was matched by Carson senior Scott McClaskey, who gave up four hits and struck out four, blunting several Conquistadore scoring threats.

Sixth-seeded El Camino Real’s best opportunity came in the sixth. Two-out singles by Gavin Bible and Nelson put runners at first and second with Marvin Jones, who had the game-winning single against Poly last week, coming to the plate.

But after getting two quick strikes, Jones hit a towering fly ball on a 1-and-2 pitch that was easily caught by center fielder Rafael Mares.

Fishman pitched out of a jam in the fourth with runners at first and third and one out. Surritt attempted a safety squeeze, bunting back to the box. Fishman fired to LeDuc, who caught Simi Taulua in a rundown between third and home for the second out. Fishman struck out Bercerill to end the threat.