El Dorado Saves the Best for Last

Looking back, they were unlikely heroes.

El Dorado pitcher Nick McMillan had pitched only 1 1/3 innings heading into this season, and backup catcher Micah Hazen struggled to find an at-bat here or an inning behind the plate there.

But McMillan and Hazen carried third-seeded El Dorado past top-seeded Westlake Village Westlake, 9-0, Saturday at Dodger Stadium to give the Golden Hawks their second Southern Section Division III baseball title in three years.

McMillan pitched a three-hitter, the first shutout of his career, and struck out nine. “I saved the best for last,” he said.

Hazen, who had worked his way into the lineup late in the season as a designated hitter, drove in a game-high three runs, including two in a three-run El Dorado first inning that appeared to sap the energy out of the Warriors.

“They could have given up, but they kept battling,” El Dorado Coach Matt Stine said of McMillan and Hazen. “They wanted to perform.”

After J.D. McCauley opened the scoring for El Dorado (26-5) in the first when he came home on a sacrifice fly, Hazen hit a two-run double off Westlake starter Justin Blaine to score Joe Turgeon and Bryan Jackson.

McMillan then took the mound with a 3-0 lead and pitched to near-perfection.

“I was comfortable,” McMillan said. “My fastball was moving and shaking and baking. I kept them on their heels.”

McMillan (9-1) didn’t allow a runner past second base and limited the Warriors’ Nos. 3, 4 and 5 hitters to a combined one for nine.

“He set up the tempo and the Westlake hitters fell into it,” Stine said. “He was in a groove.”

Stine said it was hard to know what to expect from McMillan this year because he had so little experience. But except for a minor late-season slide, the senior right-hander exceeded all expectations.

Hazen went from a backup to a mainstay after earning his place in the lineup with stellar play in the National Classic over spring break. He continued his hot hitting late in the playoffs, including a key three-run double in El Dorado’s semifinal victory over Laguna Hills.

Saturday, he also hit a run-scoring single to right in the fourth to put the Hawks ahead, 9-0.

“I think we showed [Westlake] what Orange County baseball is all about,” Hazen said.

The Warriors (25-7-1), who needed four pitchers Saturday, also hurt themselves with two errors that led to runs.

“Beating a team like that, you have to be perfect,” Westlake Coach Chuck Berrington said. “We didn’t get off to a good start, and everything crumbled from there.”