Loara celebrates with another dog pile after 3-2 walk-off win over St. Paul

A seventh-inning single by Louie Banda (13) scored Nathan Gutierrez with the winning run as Loara edged St. Paul, 3-2. (Photos courtesy Jim McCormack, For OC Sports Zone)

The Loara High baseball team is taking a liking to dog piles.

The Saxons celebrated with a pile after a late-inning victory over El Rancho in the first round of the CIF Division 4 playoffs and they found a way to pile on again when a seventh-inning rally allowed them to edge visiting St. Paul, 3-2 Tuesday afternoon.

To see the slide show, please click on the first photo

Loara players mob Louie Banda after his seventh-inning base hit gave the Saxons' a 3-2 playoff win over St. Paul.

Louie Banda watches his seventh-inning hit sail into right field, scoring the deciding run.

Xavier Otto (6) is congratulated after scoring the tying run for Loara.

First baseman Jose Saldana's leaping catch of this high throw saved at least one run and resulted in an inning-ending double play Tuesday.

Matt Blackney celebrates Loara's first run in a 3-2 win over St. Paul Tuesday.

Trailing 2-1 in the top of the seventh, Saxon Coach Shaun Hill told his team that if it held the Swordsmen scoreless in the top of the seventh, the Saxons would get another chance to bury each other under a mass of humanity. Hill proved to be a prophet.

The Saxons’ bottom of the seventh began innocently enough when pinch-hitter Xavier Otto grounded out to the pitcher.

But, after a conference, the game’s three umpires ruled Otto had fouled the ball off his foot. Taking advantage of his second chance, Otto then hit a slow roller through the middle of the infield and was ruled safe on a bang-bang play at first.

He was sacrificed to second and scored the tying run on Nathan Gutierrez’s single to right, Gutierrez fortuitously moving to second when the St. Paul right fielder misplayed the ball.

That brought up Louie Banda who had little luck against St. Paul pitchers to that point, a streak that continued through two strikes, before he shot a base hit down the right field line, easily scoring Gutierrez.

Cue the dog pile.

Left-hander Patrick Monroe pitched three hitless innings in relief of Matt Blackney to collect the victory.

The win, Loara’s 20^th of the season, earned the Saxons a quarterfinal match at Kennedy Friday.

-Courtesy Jim MacCormack, For OC Sports Zone