Katella Can’t Hold Lead Against West Torrance

Nelson Caraballo launched a game-winning, two-run homer in the seventh inning to give top-seeded West Torrance a 6-5 victory over host Katella in the Division II baseball quarterfinals Friday.

The top-ranked Warriors (26-4) will play Riverside Poly in the semifinal round.

Prior to the Warriors’ final at-bat, Coach Harry Jenkins huddled with his players.

“They haven’t given up all year long,” Jenkins said. “I just tried to calm them down.”

Greg Sain led off the inning with a triple to right-center and scored on Brian Kowan’s chopper that hopped over the head of third baseman T.J. Hara.

Caraballo then hit his ninth home run of the season.

“As soon as I hit it, I knew it was a home run,” Caraballo said.

West Torrance took a three-run lead in the second inning, capitalizing on Katella mistakes. Caraballo reached first base to lead off the inning on an errant throw by third baseman Matt Tisthammer and scored on Garry Dailey’s single.

Later in the second, Han Yi loaded the bases with a perfect bunt down the first-base line. Scott Fraser walked the next two batters, Warren Trott and Brian Thomas, to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead.

Mike Martinez entered the game following the second walk and shut down the Warriors for the next four innings, striking out eight.

Brian Thomas pitched well until the fifth inning, when Chris Walters led off with a double and later scored Katella’s first run on Hugo Gonzalez’s single to left. Carlos Pasillas, who drove in Gonzalez with a double, scored the tying run on a double by Martinez.

Caraballo took over for Thomas to close out the fifth, but Fraser led off the next inning with a triple. James Garcia relieved Caraballo, but on his first pitch, Walters hit a double down the left-field line scoring pinch-runner Art Tiscareno and giving the Knights the lead. Gonzalez tripled later in the inning and scored on a wild pitch to give Katella a 5-3 lead.