SOUTHERN SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS : Ritter to the Rescue for Fountain Valley : Division I: Pitcher helps Barons beat Bishop Amat, 14-7, in wild title game.
ANAHEIM — When Fountain Valley needed hitting, the Barons did it as a team.
When they needed solid defense, they did it as a team.
When they needed pitching, senior Craig Ritter was out there by himself.
Ritter was the only Baron pitcher to take control Saturday in the Southern Section Division I championship game. He retired the final five batters to preserve a wild 14-7 victory over La Puente Bishop Amat in front of 6,200 at Anaheim Stadium.
With it, the Barons became the second Orange County team to win back-to-back baseball championships. La Quinta became the first earlier in the day when it beat Santa Margarita.
For the Barons, it wrapped up a run of success that dated to before the team’s seniors entered high school. They reached the Pony League World Series final as 14-year-olds and won the Colt League World Series two years later.
Last season, the Barons defeated Lakewood to become the first top-seeded team to win the Division I title since 1970. Saturday became the last hurrah for the group, which went 53-6-1 the past two seasons, including 10 consecutive playoff games.
“There was only one way this could end,†Coach Ron La Ruffa said. “This is such a great group of kids, it could only end with a win.â€
It did, but only because Ritter gave the Barons what they were noted for: good pitching.
Starter Dan Keller, who entered the game with a 1.20 earned-run average, lasted 2 1/3 innings, giving up four runs. Chris Ponchak and rarely used Steve Schenewerke also were hit in wild game that produced the most runs by a winning team since 1958 and the most runs by a losing team since 1937.
It was left to Ritter, who had not pitched since the last game of the regular season, to calm things down.
He entered with two on and one out in the sixth, inheriting a 3-0 count to Abel Montanez. After Montanez walked to load the bases, Ritter got Casey Flanigan to bounce into a home-to-first double play.
Ritter, usually a second baseman, then retired the side in order in the seventh for his third save.
“It was a night where none of our pitchers had it,†La Ruffa said.
Except Ritter. “I had to find someone to get some outs,†La Ruffa said.
Said Ritter: “I was stunned to be pitching. It was like I was in a zone.â€
He provided a calm ending to a turbulent game.
The Barons, normally a fundamentally sound team, fell over themselves most of the night. They made three errors in the first three innings and trailed, 5-3.
They also made some blunders at the plate. Ritter missed a squeeze attempt in the fourth and Chris Ponchak bunted back to the mound with the bases loaded and two outs in the second.
What saved them was their hitting. Fountain Valley had struggled during the playoffs and had only six hits in the previous two games. The Barons matched that by the second inning.
Bishop Amat finished 27-4.
The Barons had 15 hits. Greg Hanoian had four hits and four runs batted in. Keller also had four RBIs, two in a six-run seventh that finally broke the game open. Roger Pechuls had four hits and three RBIs.
It was a feast for a team that got its winning run on a passed ball in the quarterfinals and a throwing error in the semifinals.
“This team always finds a way to win,†La Ruffa said.
That was was with Ritter.
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