HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP : Serra Slows Up Mira Mesa’s March

Two-time defending Section 3-A champion Mira Mesa was threatening to run away with another City Eastern League championship Thursday, when it ran into league foe Serra.

The Conquistadors have a way of making the No. 3 Marauders run in place, and they handed host Mira Mesa (16-5, 5-1) its first league loss, 6-3.

“I don’t know if anyone can catch Mira Mesa, but this puts them back into the league a little bit,” Serra Coach Ken Sovay said. “And this put us back into the hunt.”

The Conquistadors (8-12, 3-3) moved into second place with the improbable victory, which came on the heels of Tuesday’s 12-0 win by Mira Mesa over Point Loma on pitcher Brendan Hause’s perfect game.

Serra has often given Mira Mesa trouble. Two years ago, it interrupted the Marauders’ march to their 1990 section title with a victory at Mira Mesa, and it took the Marauders extra innings to beat Serra two weeks ago.

“If we don’t make errors and we don’t throw games away, we can play with anybody,” Sovay said.

Milo Rodriguez was two for three and struck the big blow--a two-out double with the bases loaded--in Serra’s three-run fifth inning. Rodriguez hit a 3-2 pitch down the left-field line, scoring Ricky Escamilla, Justin Wible and Jim White.

In the seventh, Serra starter Ram Barrera (2-4) allowed a double and two walks with no outs. But relief pitcher Danny Moreno got Chris Moeller on a sacrifice fly, Coleman Mullin on a pop-up to third base and Daryle Owen on a fly to left to end it.

In another City Eastern game:

Patrick Henry 9, Point Loma 5--Winner Zed Martin (1-0) delivered a three-run double to key a seven-run first inning. Eric Slama, Chris Yerke and Dennis Twombley each added two hits as the Patriots improved to 7-11-2, 2-3. The Pointers fell to 9-12-1, 2-4.

City Central League

San Diego 13, Crawford 9--San Diego (9-10, 3-3) scored five times in the 10th inning after a two-out error to win a wild one at Crawford. Trailing, 5-4, San Diego scored two runs in the seventh, but the Colts got one in their half to force extra innings. In the ninth, San Diego’s Jaque Jones and Crawford’s Johnny Verdin each hit two-run homers. Verdin was three for four, and Robbie Wadas had four RBIs for Crawford (8-8, 4-1). Jones was three for six with three RBIs, Richard Estrada four for five and David Mendoza three for five.

Madison 14, Hoover 0--Jesus Martinez threw a three-hit shutout and had two hits for Madison (13-6, 5-1). Chris Luce went three for four with a triple and two RBIs, James Liseski two for four with three RBIs and Brian Delgado three for four with two RBIs.

City Western League

USDHS 10, La Jolla 7--Chris Richard reached base five times and had a game-winning, two-run inside-the-park home run in the fifth inning to lift No. 4 USDHS (17-3, 6-0). Richard had three hits, a walk and was hit by a pitch. Winner Ian Hamilton gave up 13 hits in the first four innings, then did not allow any over the final three innings. Chris Duncan went three for four with two stolen bases for the Vikings (10-9, 1-4).

Mission Bay 5, Kearny 1--Left-hander Manny Castillo had his second strong outing in six days, this time in a winning cause. Castillo (3-3) allowed five hits, struck out nine and walked none as the No. 9 Buccaneers improved to 14-6, 4-2. Shane Stroberg was three for four and Chase Lowary doubled twice and scored twice. Kearny is 8-11-1, 2-3.

City Harbor League

Clairemont 4, Christian 3--Danny Langford went two for three and got the game-winning RBI on a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the seventh to make a winner of Craig Goodwin (1-2), who also went two for four. Catcher Charles Dibble had two RBIs on a squeeze bunt and a sacrifice fly for Clairemont (7-12-1, 2-4). Christian is 1-16, 0-6.

Marian 7, Coronado 3--Jerry Guevara (3-6) notched his third victory in a row by pitching his way out of several jams. Marian improved to 3-14, 3-2.

Metro Conference

Castle Park 13, Mar Vista 1--Mar Vista (13-7-2, 5-3-1) got only two hits off Alex Lontayo (five innings, two hits, six strikeouts) and Scott Whitman. Alex Dearie had two doubles and four RBIs for the Trojans (14-8, 5-3).

Southwest 6, Sweetwater 4--Junior Moran and Robert Bedolla hit homers and Adrian Garcia went three for four and scored twice for Southwest (6-9-1, 3-5).

Montgomery 8, Hilltop 3--Steve Quinteros (4-1) scattered seven hits and was supported by three-run rallies in the second and third innings as No. 2 Montgomery moved to 18-3, 9-0.