San Dimas’ David Vargas facts after a two run double in the sixth inning of a prep baseball game against Northview at Northview High School in Covina, Calif., on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. San Dimas won 2-0. (Keith Birmingham/San Gabriel Valley Tribune)
By Stephen Ramirez
steve.ramirez@langnews.com
@SteveRRamirez on Twitter
COVINA — If you give the San Dimas High School baseball team an inch, the Saints will take a mile; if you give them an error, they’ll take a game.
They did exactly that Wednesday.
David Vargas followed up an error with a two-run double in the seventh and Peter Lambert threw a five-hit shutout as visiting San Dimas opened Valle Vista League play with a 2-0 victory over rival Northview.
Lambert also struckout 10 for the Saints, who improved to 6-3. Northview, getting a four-hitter and eight strikeouts from James Ramos, slipped to 4-3. The teams will meet again on Friday at San Dimas.
Ramos was battling Lambert nearly pitch for pitch and strike out for strike out before the Vikings blinked with a two-out error in the seventh. The Saints made them pay.
Jonathan Longtin, who was 2 for 3, followed with a single before Vargas, who had two hits, hit a two-strike pitch to left-center field for a double, scoring pinch-runner Jeremy Marquez and Longtin for a 2-0 lead. Ramos struck out pitch-hitter Jared Leyland to end the inning.
Northview, which had a runner at third in the first, fourth and sixth innings, but failed to score, caught a break in the bottom of the seventh when Adrian Olivas reached on an error to lead off the inning. But he was stranded there by Lambert, who struck out the next three batters, including getting Jacob Amaya looking to end the game.
San Dimas coach Mike Regan: “We caught a little luck. They squeeze and we get the runner at home, we couldn’t punch any runners in, and then it came down to a big hit. David did a great job of being patient and driving the ball in the left-center gap. He’s been doing really well offensive for us.”
Northview coach Dan Roddy: “We had a few chances against a dynamite pitcher. That’s a good baseball team that we went toe-to-toe with for seven innings. We flinched first, with a two-out groundball that we misplay and they turned it into two runs. James matched (Lambert), but you can’t win a game when you don’t score any runs, so we have to do a better job of finishing.”
San Dimas’ David Vargas: “It was good to come through for the team. (Jonathan) Longtin kept the inning going with a single and I got a fast-ball where I wanted it.”
