Sports
BASEBALL: El Camino Clinches Title at Dons' Expense
Aragon falls behind 6-0 in second inning and can't recover; hosts drop to 3-9 in PAL Bay Division.
The Score: El Camino 8, Aragon 1.
The Star: El Camino High catcher Trevor Kelly (2-for-3, five RBIs) got the visitors’ offense going with a three-run home run in the first inning and added a two-run single in the sixth as the Colts clinched a share of their first Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division title on Friday afternoon.
The Turning Point: With one run already home, Kelly hit his three-run blast off starting pitcher Christian Larsen (0-4), his second homer of the season, over the rightfield fence. This gave the Colts a 4-0 lead, which was more than enough for starting pitcher Steve Knudson (3-3).
The Quote: “We just need to have some fun. It kind of like we’ve been pressing all season. We just need to go out and play our game. When we worry about ourselves, we play really well.” – Aragon catcher Sam Pacholuk, on what plagues the Dons.
What’s Next? After dropping a pair this week against El Camino (13-10-1, 9-3 PAL Bay), Aragon (8-14-2, 3-9) hosts Aptos today. Then the Dons wrap up the season with two PAL Bay games against Hillsdale, beginning on Wednesday.
The Bottom Line: Aragon is taking up the cellar of the PAL Bay and will look to finish on a high note next week against Hillsdale, which has an outside shot of claiming an automatic bid to the Central Coast Section playoffs.
Notes: Larsen only lasted one inning before being pulled for Trevor McNeil. McNeil threw 4 1/3 innings, which included three shutout frames and seven walks. … Pacholuk threw out two El Camino runners attempting to steal second and nearly picked off another runner off first. … El Camino’s Tyler Rios hit his first home run of the season. … Aragon’s three pitchers issued a combined nine walks. … Tyler Outzen broke up Knudson’s shutout bid with a solo homer in the sixth. … Knudson finished with a complete-game five-hitter, striking out three and walking three.
_____________________________________________________________________
El Camino 8, Aragon 1
EC -- 420 002 0 – 8 7 2
A -- 000 001 0 – 1 5 2
WP: Knudson (3-3). LP: Larsen (0-4).
HR: Kelly, Rios (EC); Outzen (A). 2B: Knudson (EC); Pacholuk, Barrie (A). 2 hits: Kelly (EC). 5 RBI: Kelly (EC). 2 RBI: Rios (EC).
Records: El Camino 13-10-1, 9-3 PAL Bay. Aragon 8-14-2, 3-9.
