Matthew Garrison nearly perfect as Point Loma logs first section title since 1982

In the biggest game of his life, on the biggest stage of his young baseball career, Point Loma High School junior Matthew Garrison was nearly perfect.

The left-hander retired the first nine Bonita Vista batters he faced, had a hiccup in the fourth inning, then retired eight in a row before Ismael Castanon’s one-out, left-field-line hugging double gave the Barons life in the seventh.

But Garrison got the last two outs as the Pointers captured the CIF San Diego Section Division 2 championship with a 2-0 decision before an estimated crowd of 900 at UC San Diego’s Triton Ballpark.

Garrison walked two and struck out 13 in going the distance, throwing 107 pitches.

This is the third championship for Point Loma, and the Pointers’ first since winning Division 2A in 1982 when left-hander David Wells, who went on to a long big-league career, was the star. The other title came in 1973, also in Division 2A.

“I knew in the second or third inning I was throwing well,” said Garrison. “I was consistent and my fastball was there. “Before the game, my pitching coach, Alan Strong, told me to relax, think positive and take control.”

Garrison said he realized he was working on a no-hitter in the fifth inning.

“I looked up at the scoreboard and saw the zeroes,” he said. “I tried not to lose it. I thought the ball (Castanon hit) was foul, hoping it was foul. But he barreled it up.

“The game wasn’t over, so it was easy to refocus. I had to get those last two out.”

Point Loma’s defense was solid behind Garrison. Second baseman Adrian Gomez made no-hitter-saving plays in the fifth and sixth innings.

“We knew what was going on, but there wasn’t any additional stress,” Gomez said. “We were all ready for the ground ball to be hit to us, the slow roller, the smash.

“Defense and pitching wins championships. We got both tonight.”

The game’s only runs came in the second inning, when Bonita Vista committed a pair of errors.

Castanon was the tough-luck loser for the Barons, allowing just two hits, a pair of unearned runs while striking out seven over five innings.

There were only three hits in the game - two by Point Loma.

“Castanon has carried us all season,” said Bonita Vista coach Dave Palet. “He has been great. Their guy was the best we’ve seen this season. He was incredible, in control.

“Point Loma is a great team, and we wish them well moving on. But I’m really proud of my guys. We’re the last team from South Bay to be playing. I think that says a lot.”

Point Loma (18-8-4) moves on to the Southern California Regionals, with pairings announced Sunday afternoon.

Bonita Vista finishes the season 22-11-1. This is the second championship in a row for Point Loma coach Rigo Ledezma, who led Santana to the Division 1 title last season