Garland Hangs 4-3 Defeat on El Camino Real

WOODLAND HILLS —  Roee Meisels got the best of Kennedy High pitcher Jon Garland once. Garland wasn’t about to let it happen again.

With runners at second and third in the seventh inning Wednesday, Garland got Meisels to ground out to second baseman Mike Ramirez and the Golden Cougars escaped with a 4-3 victory over El Camino Real in a Northwest Valley Conference game.

In the fifth inning, Meisels tied the score, 3-3, when his second hit--a single to right field--scored pinch-runner P.J. Reyes.

After getting the first two outs in the seventh, Garland allowed a single by Matt Cowie and a double by Mike Conn, which brought Meisels to the plate.

Garland got two called strikes, forcing Meisels to swing at the next good pitch, which resulted in the hard grounder to Ramirez.

“I wasn’t really thinking about what he did in the last at-bat,” Garland said. “I just wanted to get the last out.”

In his second consecutive strong outing, Garland (3-1) gave up seven hits and no walks while striking out five.

Garland gave the Golden Cougars (8-1, 4-0 in conference play) the go-ahead run with a solo home run to left field with one out in the sixth off reliever Mike Conn (0-1). It was Garland’s second home run of the season.

Conn and starter Junior Avina were in and out of trouble most of the game. Kennedy batters had several good chances for extra-base hits but El Camino Real (5-4, 1-3) was bailed out by solid defense in the outfield.

Outfielder Fernando Centeno gave the Golden Cougars their first lead of the game, 3-2, with a two-run home run into the right field trees in the fifth.

Centeno hit the ball hard in his first two at-bats, but Conn, playing right field, made a diving catch on one and a deep drive to center field was caught by Nick Lombard.

“I’ve been in a little slump but I feel a lot better now,” Centeno said.

Avina threw 82 pitches before being replaced by Conn with one out in the fifth.

El Camino Real started strongly, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the first.

Fishman doubled deep to right center, scoring Meisels. Fishman leads the area’s City Section batters with 17 runs batted in.

Fishman later scored from third base on a grounder by Woody Cliffords.

“We were very eager to get a lead,” Meisels said. “We came out with more fire than we did on Monday.”

The Conquistadores lost to Kennedy, 3-2, on Monday.

Kennedy trimmed the lead to 2-1 in the second inning when Garland’s single scored Aldo Pinto.

After allowing two baserunners in the second, Garland retired eight consecutive batters and the Golden Cougars got back into the game.