ANAHEIM El Dorado had an offensive outburst early, added a big insurance run late and stopped a rally by Canyon in the final inning with a game-ending double play to come away with a 5-4 victory Wednesday at Canyon High.
The game was part of the Century Tournament, featuring teams from the old Century League, which was split into the re-configured Crestview and North Hills leagues in recent years.
El Dorado (6-4) was head, 5-3, in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Golden Hawks pitcher Tyler Armenta retired pinch hitter Connor Chapman on a fly out to center for the first out, but then walked Alex Sardina and gave up a run-scoring double to Connor Clift.
Armenta was replaced by Noah Conlon, who walked a batter and hit a batter to load the bases with one out. Conlon then got Connor Davis to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
“It was a great job by our middle infield right there,” El Dorado coach Matt Lucas said.
Conlon and Garrett Stark delivered RBI doubles in the first to give El Dorado a 2-0 lead.
Davis, Sardina and Hunter Cooper singled in a run each in the first, second and third innings, respectively, to give Canyon (5-3) a 3-2 lead.
In the top of the fourth for El Dorado, a double, a walk, a balk and an error led to a run and Bobby Silvas executed a squeeze bunt to score Adrian Romo with the go-ahead run.
With one out in the top of the sixth, Romo belted a double. One out later, pinch hitter Shane Kary came through with a two-out, two-strike double, driving in Romo with what was the winning run.
After El Dorado starter Austin Spinney gave up three runs over 21/3 innings, Hawks relievers Luke Franko and Armenta held the Comanches scoreless into the seventh.
“Our relievers did a good job,” Lucas said. “Austin started and kind of struggled a little bit. Starters aren’t going to be perfect all the time, and it was a good job by the relief corps to pick him up.”
