Banuelos Keeps Poly on High Road

They were playing for second place in the Valley Pac-8 Conference and a berth in the City Section 4-A Division playoffs, but the Poly High and Sylmar baseball teams booted the ball around like cellar-dwellers Thursday.

The Parrots won, 7-4, at Poly, overcoming six errors and a 4-0 deficit. The Parrots (18-12, 13-4 in conference play), the 4-A Division runner-up last season, will play host to Banning in the first round of the playoffs Tuesday.

Sylmar (15-11, 12-5), which committed three errors, received an at-large berth and opens at Cleveland.

“Both teams were crappy but it seemed like we just folded the tent,” Sylmar Coach Gary Donatella said.

Poly’s Gus Banuelos pitched a three-hitter and collected three hits, driving in the winning run with a triple in the fifth.

The senior struck out six and walked five while working with great deliberation under a blazing sun. He allowed one earned run.

“Gus drives me nuts because of the walks, but nothing bothers him out there,” Parrot Coach Chuck Schwal said. “I hesitate to pull him because he’s so gutsy and he makes the tough pitches.”

Banuelos (8-5) did not allow a hit in the third, but Sylmar took advantage of four Parrot errors to seize a 4-0 lead.

“We’re a young team and we don’t have enough varsity experience,” Banuelos said. “I don’t get frustrated because I understand that. Why get on them? They’re getting stronger.”

Poly answered with three runs in the bottom of the third, aided by two Spartan errors. The Parrots tied the game, 4-4, in the fourth when a Sylmar throwing error on an infield single by Juan Vega allowed Manuel Flores to score from third.

In the fifth, Sal Trujillo doubled with one out. He was followed by Banuelos, who tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jorge Flores.

Poly scored in the sixth when Banuelos singled home Jaron Brignac.

Banuelos, the only Parrot to start in the 1996 4-A final, finished with two runs batted in. No other Parrot had more than one hit.

Sylmar starter Chris Cervantes (4-2) allowed two hits and three runs, one earned, in three-plus innings. Relievers Carlos Gonzalez and Mario Pacheco combined to allow seven hits and four runs, two earned.