BASEBALL: CAMARILLO GOING EXTRA MILE SCORPIONS, VISTA MURRIETA SCORELESS AFTER 8 INNINGS CAMARILLO VS. VISTA MURRIETA, LATE.

Byline: HEATHER GRIPP

Staff Writer

Pitchers on the Camarillo High baseball team spent much of the season overshadowed by an offense that average 10 runs a game.

Thursday's Southern Section Div. II championship game was the chance for the Scorpions' pitching to shine. Senior right-hander Garret Rau had a perfect game through 5 1/3 innings.

His team's bid for a title lasted longer.

With Vista Murrieta pitchers being nearly as stingy against a Camrillo lineup that hadn't been shut out all season, the game remained a scoreless tie going into extra innings.

Vista Murrieta's T.S. Reed opened the bottom of the seventh with just the Broncos' second hit of the night. He was sacrificed to second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, but an attempted two-strike squeeze play failed and the Rau got out of the jam to send the game to extra innings.

Rau's bid for a perfect game was ended an inning earlier by Glenn Trott, Vista Murrieta's No. 8 hitter, who narrowly beat the throw to first on a bunt. Rau got out of the inning by retiring the next two batters, thanks in part to a sliding catch by left fielder Jon Erb.

Rau entered the game with a 9-1 record and 1.72 ERA, but was best known for his .514 batting average. He'd even admitted he considered himself an infielder first, but was pitching because his team could use him on the mound.

Rau looked every bit the part of a pitching ace on Thursday.

Rau had seven strikeouts through the first four innings after striking out the side in order in the fourth.

Vista Murrieta starter Taylor Garrison allowed just two hits, but was removed with two runners on and one out in the fifth. He was relieved by ace left-hander Brian Valenzuela, who got out of a bases-loaded jam after surrendering a single to Rau.

The Broncos combined for nine strikeouts through seven innings.

Camarillo first threatened in the third inning. Brendan Hindle opened the inning with the game's first hit, a line drive trapped by a diving Vista Murriata center fielder Aaron Fischback. Kenny Wise sacrificed Hindle to second and Rau was intentionally walked to put two on with one out, but the rally ended two batters later.

Mike Yingling, who started the fifth inning with a single to left, provided the Scorpions' only other hit during regulation.

Vista Murrieta, which lost to Quartz Hill in last year's Div. III final, entered this year's title game riding a 10-game winning streak that included an upset of nationally ranked No. 2 seed Covina.

Camarillo was in the final for the first time since winning the Div.

I title in 2002.

[e-mail]

[phone]