A CLOSER LOOK: GEERY'S FINISHING TOUCH.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer

So many thoughts ran through Adam Geery's head as he walked to the mound at Dodger Stadium Tuesday in the bottom of the seventh inning, he couldn't sort it all out.

But this much Geery knew as he finished his warmups and prepared to pitch.

On a mound that Sandy Koufax once threw from and inside a stadium where Kirk Gibson hit his dramatic home run, Kennedy High's sophomore pitcher had a chance to close out El Camino Real in the City Section baseball final.

It was an opportunity Geery wasn't about to let slip by.

``I thought about all those guys and all the history of this place,'' said Geery, who retired the side in order to preserve Kennedy's 4-2 victory over the Conquistadores. ``And I wanted to make some history for ourselves.''

He certainly did, with a little help from fellow sophomore Eric Moore, Geery's closest friend on the team. It was Moore's two-out, two-run triple in the top of the seventh that broke open a 2-2 tie and gave the Cougars their first championship since 1996.

``I just want to thank Eric Moore, the best friend a guy could have,'' Geery said.

Moore's clutch liner to the left-field wall capped Kennedy's dramatic three-run seventh-inning rally, overcoming a 2-1 deficit after the Conquistadores had taken the lead in the bottom of the sixth.

Moore, Kennedy's No. 9 hitter, drove in Chad Shaw and Danny Mata.

It was Mata's alert baserunning on a rundown between first and second, when ECR reliever Nick Teslik seemingly had him picked off, that put him in position to score and kept the inning alive in a tie game.

``We've been practicing that play all year,'' Mata said. ``I knew it would come in handy one day and I'm glad it was this day.''

Once Mata arrived at second, it set the stage for Moore.

``The feeling was indescribable,'' said Moore. ``I had no doubt we'd win this game or that I'd get the job done. But this is unbelievable.''

Geery went the distance, giving up eight singles through seven innings. But he was at his best at the end, retiring the final six batters he faced.

The win was Geery's third in the playoffs after winning just two during the regular season while battling arm trouble.

Geery finished with seven strikeouts and no walks. He got Christian Hariot to strike out swinging to end the game, falling to his knees in ecstasy after the final pitch.

Before the game, Geery calmed his nerves during a pregame tour of the Dodgers' clubhouse.

``We got to see everything and it settled us down a little bit.''

For Moore, there was no uncertainty as he went to bat with runners at second and third and the game tied.

``At the beginning of the game there were some nerves, but when I went up to bat I felt confident,'' Moore said. ``I knew I was going to come through because all my players had faith in me.''

Kennedy loaded the bases in the seventh on a walk, a bunt and an infield single. The Cougars tied the game on Brandon Burton's sacrifice fly, scoring Geery.

``Kennedy never quits, we never say die,'' Moore said. ``We don't give up. That's what helps us with these ballgames. All through the finals, all through the playoffs we've done things to win games.''