Miller Homer Makes Up for Miscues

Ocean View third baseman Jason Miller was pretty upset after making two mistakes on the same play in the sixth inning of Friday’s game.

First, he cut off an accurate throw to the plate from left-fielder Shaun White because he thought it was going off target. Then, as he turned to make the relay, the ball fell out of his hand, allowing El Segundo pinch runner Endrie Cabrera to score the tying run in the Southern Section Division IV baseball quarterfinal game.

“I was feeling kind of bad at that point,” said Miller, whose team squandered a five-run lead.

Miller was feeling a lot better in a hurry, however. He hit a three-run homer--his second of the game and sixth of the season--in the bottom of the sixth inning as Ocean View rallied for a 9-5 victory.

The Seahawks (19-10) have won 13 of their last 14 games and will play San Luis Obispo in the semifinals Tuesday.

For most of the game, everything seemed to be going in Ocean View’s direction. The Seahawks, leading 1-0, got consecutive home runs from Andy Wirmani (sixth of the season), Jason Martini (eighth) and Miller in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead.

Pitcher Pete Montrenes, the staff ace, was humming along, too. He took a no-hitter into the fifth inning.

But Montrenes wasn’t himself as he stepped to the mound in the fifth against the highly regarded Eagles (25-5). He fidgeted. He fussed. He got flustered. Then El Segundo cleanup hitter Alberto Concepcion broke up the no-hitter with a double to center field and by the time Montrenes got out of the inning, the Ocean View lead had been cut to 5-2.

Montrenes struggled again in the sixth.

“Our guy was tired, but we were going to live or die by him,” Ocean View Coach Steve Barrett said. “I think momentum went to their side during the middle innings.”

El Segundo’s Kevin Estrada opened the sixth with a homer. Montrenes (12-3) walked the bases loaded and then the Eagles’ Matt Tigani tied the score, 5-5, with a single to left that led to Miller’s foibles.

“I couldn’t hear anyone tell me to cut the ball because of the crowd noise,” Miller said. “I thought the throw was a bit off line up the first-base line, so I cut it. When I turned, I dropped it.”

Miller’s home run, which came off El Segundo’s top pitcher, Charles Talanoa, who came on in relief in the sixth, capped a four-run outburst that was helped by three errors.

El Segundo had two men on and one out in the top of the seventh, but Concepcion flew out to deep center and the relay throw to second base from Justin Baca beat El Segundo’s Bobby Gaines back to the bag to end the game.

In another Division IV game:

La Quinta 1, La Canada St. Francis 0--Josue Pena and Bobby Crosby hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the seventh with two outs as La Quinta (29-1) advanced. La Quinta’s Jason Garcia (12-1) struck out eight and walked three and threw a one-hitter. La Quinta will play Tuesday at Monrovia.