The Signal : Sunday, June 02, 2002 : Ryan Lambert

Riding Into a Somber Sunset

ANAHEIM— It seemed almost fitting for the sun to be setting at the time.

The Cowboy workhorse, Jake Coash, recorded the final out in his decorated career as runners stood on first and second with one out.

After a 114-pitch performance, the left-hander hugged pitching coach Mike DiGiacomo, relinquished the ball and walked off in the residual glow that crept into Edison Field to a standing ovation from the Canyon faithful.

With a 2-1 lead, his most compelling chapter had yet to be written.

Villa Park sophomore Dane Ferguson flared a Sergio Almanzar offering into right field scoring Mike Thompson from third to win the CIF-SS Division II championship, 3-2, in the bottom of the seventh Saturday.

“No doubt, this is what we wanted,” Canyon senior right fielder Ryan Pipho said. “We had the lead coming down to the end of the game and then stuff happened.”

The inning began as Coash gave up an 0-2 single to left off the bat of Ben Hanna, who had been hitless up to that point.

“Yeah, I missed my spot on that one,” said Coash, who took the loss going 6 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits and striking out seven.

Thompson, who went 3-for-4, lined a single in front of the diving Kyle Zeiler in left and the Spartans had two on with none out. Coash had only one more out to give his team after throwing 3 2/3 innings in a relief appearance Tuesday. He hit his weekly 10-inning limit when sophomore Mark Trumbo fouled out to Clay Britton at first.

Almanzar entered in relief and gave up an RBI single to Kirk McConchie, who was 2-for-3, to tie the game at 2-2. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, Ferguson picked up his second RBI of the game on a single to right.

“I wasn’t shocked,” Coash said. “I didn’t know what was happening. We just didn’t hit.”

Villa Park caught a break and then the lead in the second inning off of Coash.

Trumbo, the Spartans’ sophomore starter, lifted a lazy fly ball toward Almanzar in right. Charging and fighting a setting sun, Almanzar could not hold on to the ball and Trumbo was aboard on an error.

Trumbo was sacrificed to second and with two outs Ferguson dropped a single into center. Pipho threw a strike to the plate, but Trumbo managed to slide into home just before Justin Schwartz could apply the tag and Villa Park had a 1-0 lead.

However, Canyon’s much-awaited response came singing off the bat of Pipho in the fourth.

Britton began the inning with a single to center and one out later Trumbo put Cody Leavitt aboard on a walk. With runners on first and second and one out, Schwartz hit what appeared to be a single to right field, but a diving stop and putout by Spartan second baseman Ray Meras stopped Britton at third with two outs. Britton didn’t stay there for long.

Trumbo’s first offering to Zeiler hit the dirt and bounced to the backstop, allowing Britton to come home and tie the game 1-1. Trumbo’s control problems continued a little longer as he walked Zieler.

Pipho, who had doubled on a bloop into left to lead-off the game, pulled a single past first base and gave Canyon a 2-1 lead that would stand until the final inning.

“This was a big game. I had to step up,” said Pipho, who was 3-for-4. “I hadn’t been hitting in the last couple of games. The ball today just looked like a beach ball.”

With a one-run lead and the conclusion of his Cowboy career seven outs away, Coash took to the hill in the fifth and gave Canyon fans something to savor.

McConchie began the inning with a sinking liner to center, past the diving Pipho, and arrived at second with a stand-up double. It was the first and only extra-base hit Coash would allow. A.J. Smith, a freshman, dropped a sacrifice bunt to Eric Ashbrook at third, but Ashbrook’s throw to first sailed and caromed off the out-stretched glove of Britton. It was Canyon’s second error of the game, but it would not prove to be nearly as costly as the first.

Although, Coash walked Ferguson to load the bases, it appeared Canyon’s newfound lead would be expunged.

Then Coash began to dazzle.

The senior first struck out Chris Bragg, a .350-hitter. He followed by striking out sophomore Mike Vass looking. And, for an encore, sent Meras to the bench with a called strike three.

The feat implored a roar from the Canyon crowd and Coash was swarmed by teammates and coaches as he walked off the mound.

“I knew I could come back and get them all out. I was just struggling,” Coash said. "(They) pump me up. I’m glad they were out there supporting us.”

The heart of Canyon’s order went quietly in the fifth, save for and error at second by Meras.

Coash responded in the sixth by recording his sixth strike out of the game to close out the inning after giving up a single to Mike Thompson.

Junior Steve Johns, who earned the win for Villa Park, spelled Trumbo in the sixth and retired all six Cowboys he faced in the final two innings.

“When we went out there, we were just in awe,” Pipho said. “People tried to do too much.”