Calvary Chapel Comes Close, Then Loses, 4-3

Calvary Chapel scratched and clawed its way back into Tuesday’s Division V baseball semifinal game, but Pasadena La Salle subdued the defending champions with a game-winning sacrifice fly in the seventh inning.

Calvary Chapel (21-6) had tied it by scoring twice on two seventh-inning wild pitches, but La Salle’s Joe Hardy hit a one-out, bases-loaded fly to right and Travis Ingrao barely beat Kenny Nash’s throw home for a 4-3 victory at Citrus College.

“It’s sort of fitting the season would end on a bang-bang play at the plate,” Calvary Chapel Coach Joe Walters said.

Ingrao, who opened the seventh with an infield single and moved to third on back-to-back walks, reached the plate a half-second before Nash’s throw. He collided with Calvary Chapel catcher Gabe Gerhardt, which kept Gerhardt from making the play.

Trailing, 3-1, second-seeded Calvary Chapel placed runners on second and third with one out in the seventh.

After La Salle starter Jason Charvet bounced a wild pitch in the dirt, enabling Nash to score, Hardy entered in relief to try and protect the one-run lead.

Hardy (8-1), who had thrown 10 innings in the Lancers’ quarterfinal victory over Pasadena Poly last Friday, got the second out when Andy Stevenson missed a squeeze bunt and Gerhardt was tagged out at home.

However, Hardy gave Calvary Chapel another chance when he bounced his next pitch past the catcher and pinch-runner Chad Yanagisawa scampered home with the tying run.