LAKE FOREST – El Toro’s record in one-run games was 8-1. West Ranch of Valencia was undefeated in its four one-run games.
West Ranch now is undefeated in five one-run games.
West Ranch defeated El Toro, 2-1, Friday in a CIF-Southern Section Division 1 baseball quarterfinal playoff game at El Toro High.
The Wildcats (24-8) will play Murrieta Mesa on Tuesday in the Division 1semifinals doubleheader at Blair Field in Long Beach.
El Toro finished 25-6. The Chargers took a 14-game winning streak into Friday.
West Ranch junior left-hander Timmy Josten pitched a complete game. Josten, who committed to Cal State Fullerton, shut out El Toro until the Chargers scored an unearned run in the seventh inning.
It was a shaky seventh inning for Josten and his teammates.
With one out and El Toro’s Nathan Church on first base, Kenny Oyama was hit by a pitch to put Chargers on first and second. Geoff Negrete hit a ground ball to West Ranch shortstop Blake Baumgartner.
Baumgartner threw to third base, where Church, running on contact, arrived simultaneously with the ball. Wildcats third baseman Daniel Luevano was unable to hang on to the ball and El Toro had the bases loaded.
El Toro’s Josh Zamora hit a chopper to Baumgartner, who double-clutched before throwing too late to get Zamora at first as Church scored to cut the West Ranch lead to 2-1.
Josten said it was not easy to quell the nerves when El Toro loaded the bases.
“I had to stay composed there,” said Josten, who walked two and struck out five. “One more out, though, was all we needed.”
The Chargers’ Gavin Garcia slapped a ground ball to Negrete, who fielded it cleanly and made the easy toss to Nico Valdez at second base for the force and the game’s final out.
“We’ve done a good job at battling all year,” El Toro coach Mike Gonzales said. “What it comes down to is who can get the clutch hit in the right situation. They got it and we were on the losing end of it.”
That clutch hit was supplied by West Ranch designated hitter Austin Hernandez. With two outs and Cade Spurlin on third base, the left-handed hitting Hernandez dumped a pop fly to short left field that landed a few feet inside the foul line. Spurlin scored for a 1-0 Wildcats lead.
In the top of the sixth, Valdez walked with the bases loaded to send home pinch-runner Evan Gellatly to make it 2-0.
Coaches always say how the team that makes the fewest mistakes is the team that will prevail in the pressure-cooker of baseball’s single-elimination playoffs, especially in Division 1.
“There’s not a whole lot of room for error,” West Rancho coach Casey Burrill said. “We got a gutsy performance from Timmy Josten. He got us the big out when we needed it.”
West Ranch has won eight in a row and 17 of its past 18 games. The Wildcats were 7-7 on April 1.
“We had a miserable start to our season,” Burrill said. “We were in a bad spot by the time we hit spring break. From there on, it’s really been a different deal.”
Because they know how to deal with one-run games, the Wildcats are advancing to the Division 1 semifinals.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com