PREP BASEBALL / CITY SEMIFINALS

In the other 4-A semifinal:

San Pedro 7, University 6 (eight innings)--Steve Ralph’s run-scoring single in the top of the eighth inning handed San Pedro (21-4) a berth in the 4-A final for the first time in 30 years.

Ralph drove a fastball to right field off University reliever Randal Harris (1-1) to drive home the go-ahead run. Jamie Smith retired the side in the bottom of the eighth to record the save.

The Pirates picked apart All-City pitcher Javier Mejia with a variety of infield hits. Mejia gave up six earned runs and 14 hits in six innings. He had only one strikeout.

Rino Marconi hit a grounder underneath the glove of second baseman Justin Schulman for the Pirates’ first run in the third. San Pedro scored three more on three infield hits in the fifth.

“It was a chink here and a chink there,” University Coach Frank Cruz said. “I have to give San Pedro credit. They know how to put the ball in play.”

University (24-4) rallied with six runs in the fifth inning and held a 6-4 lead. Richie Rivera had a three-run triple with two out and scored the go-ahead run on Jeff Eisfelder’s single.

San Pedro’s Rino Marconi, who had four hits, had a run-scoring single in the sixth as the Pirates scored two runs to tie the score, 6-6, setting up Ralph’s heroics.

San Pedro last appeared in a City final in 1962 and lost, 7-5, to Washington. Poly will be seeking to keep alive a streak of San Fernando Valley dominance. A Valley team has won the large-school City title the past 19 years.