Once Hart High beat Camarillo, 6-3, on Wednesday at home in the quarterfinals of the Valley Invitational Baseball League playoffs, an all-Foothill League semifinal was guaranteed for later in the week.
Saugus High left no doubt about which team would travel to Hart on Friday at 5 p.m., routing Canyon on the road Wednesday, 16-1, behind a 4-for-4 day for Chase Lindemann.
Lindemann hit two doubles, a triple and a single.
Teammate Andy Vierra went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a triple. Cole Gallagher was 2-for-3, as was Jacob Beauchamp.
Davis Brown pitched six innings for the Centurions, allowing one run. Garett Lite pitched the final inning.
“The two seniors, Lindemann and Vierra, created most of our offense. I thought we were ready to go today with the bats, and it showed,” said Saugus coach Carl Grissom. “The main thing is they are having fun.”
Hart found itself in more of a dogfight Wednesday, outlasting Camarillo on the strength of Ryan Carolan’s six quality innings. He only allowed five hits, building on a spring season when he posted a 2.06 ERA in eight starts.
He figures to fill out Hart’s starting rotation with Bryce Collins next season, with Tripp Bowers also in the mix.
Offensively, Cody Jefferis had two doubles for Hart. Trever Coogan and Brooks Statley each had two hits.
Hart and Saugus played in a CIF-Southern Section Division 1 semifinal in 2015 (with Hart winning in extra innings), and the schools almost met in the title game of the 2015 VIBL playoffs.
That year, Hart beat Camarillo in one semifinal, but Saugus lost 2-1 to Woodland Hills West.
Saugus beat Hart in the 2014 VIBL semis and went on to win the championship.
