Dunn ace Shannon Carroll shut down Cate’s offense and contributed at the plate with a three-run double, leading the Earwigs to a 7-2 victory and the Condor League championship on a blazing hot day in Los Olivos.
Dunn finishes league with a 5-1 record while Cate places second with a 4-2 mark.
The Rams took a 2-0 lead on Carlos Fairbanks RBI groundout and a Nik Pajouh solo home run. But they couldn’t muster anything more against Carroll.
Cate starter Carlos Fairbanks held Dunn scoreless until the fourth.
Dunn got RBI singles from Jake Eisaguirre and Bryce McKibbin to tie the score.
The Earwigs broke the game open in fifth with four runs. Kyle Epsman singled in a run and Carroll cleared the bases with a double.
Carroll retired nine of the last 10 Rams.
Pajouh led the way for the Rams at the plate, going 2-3 with a homer and a double. Humza Khurshid, Carlos Fairbanks, Zach Ell, Chris Oh and Joel Revo all tallied hits on the afternoon.
The Rams’ defense did not commit an error and got some stellar plays in the field by Oh and Dean Smith, said assistant coach Dave Soto.
“I think we played well against a very good Dunn team and, most importantly, represented our school very well in an emotional game,” Soto said.
The Rams wrap up the regular season with a non-league game against St. Monica Academy.
The CIF playoff pairings will be released on Monday.
