Aloha means goodbye for North.

Byline: Adam Jude The Register-Guard

The ungodly breaking ball foiled North Eugene for most of the game.

Then Dylan Jones closed the door on the Highlanders' season with his fastball.

Jones, a soft-throwing junior left-hander, worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift Aloha to a 4-1 victory Wednesday in the third round of the OSAA Class 4A baseball playoffs at North Eugene's Swede Johnson Stadium.

A first-team all-Metro League pitcher, Jones scattered six hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks.

"That's pretty amazing to do in a playoff game," Aloha coach Darren Bland said. "Bases loaded, tying run on first base and Jones just said, 'It's time to go.' He buckled down."

It's the third playoff victory in six days for the Warriors (23-6), the No. 4 seed from the Metro League.

"The way we look at it, all the pressure is on the other team," Jones said. "We're the No. 4 seed."

For North Eugene (17-8), the No. 2 seed from the Midwestern League, the season ended with a chance at a dramatic comeback.

Senior Jon Keller opened the bottom of the seventh with a double and scored on an Andrew Stiltner single. Markus Lindsey was hit by a pitch, and Tyler Woodke singled to load the bases.

"I knew the game was on the line," Jones said. "I had to take it upon myself to get it done."

He did, striking out the next two batters on fastballs and getting Dan Winterstein to ground to second for a fielder's choice.

"Just bad luck, I guess," Winterstein said.

The Warriors had added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a Robbie Huth single to take a 4-0 lead.

Aloha scored two runs early off North starter Shawn Peterson, including one on a successful suicide squeeze bunt in the fourth.

Peterson, in his final prep outing, allowed three earned runs, struck out five and walked five.

Jones' curveball - a big, sweeping hook in the mold of Barry Zito's - kept the Highlanders off-balance much of the game. He often threw the curve for a first-pitch strike, then used his fastball and changeup to finish hitters off.

"He did an outstanding job for them," North coach Corey Nicholson said. "We figured things out a little bit at the end, but we didn't get the big hit we needed."

Jones was perfect through three innings and allowed only a Winterstein single through five.

In the sixth, David Lange had a leadoff single for North, and Winterstein followed with a one-out single to put the tying run on base. But Jones ended the threat by striking out Steven Humble and Peterson - both on 3-2 fastballs.

CAPTION(S):

Aloha pitcher Dylan Jones allowed just six hits and struck out 10 in a complete-game victory. North's Tyler Woodke singles to load the bases in the seventh.