LAKE FOREST All season, Oxnard High baseball coach Alfred Tarazon has stressed the winning formula: good pitching, good defense and timely hitting.

It's certainly been working.

Behind 4 2/3 shutout innings by starting pitcher Erick Hong and a first-inning rally good for three runs, Oxnard held on to defeat host El Toro 3-1 in the CIF-Southern Section Division II quarterfinals to earn its first trip to the CIF semifinals in program history.

Standing in the way of Oxnard's chance to advance to the final is Pacific View League rival Camarillo, which has beaten Oxnard in all three of their previous meetings this year. Oxnard, which entered the playoff bracket as a wild-card team, improved to 21-8 after its third road win of the postseason. El Toro finishes 25-5.

"The guys like traveling. As soon as we get off the bus, we're ready to start playing," said Tarazon.

Just as Tarazon hoped, the Oxnard bats started producing right off the bus.

Sophomore shortstop Blake Adame knocked a one-out single in the first and Kevin Newburg reached on an error one batter later against right-hander Ryan Doyle, who posted a 7-3 record with a 2.69 ERA in his previous 11 starts. Derek Shutt, Hong and catcher Mario Landeros each answered with consecutive hits before Alex Solis drove in the third run on a fielder's choice.

Hong finished 3 for 4 with an RBI double. Shutt had an RBI and a run scored while Solis had an RBI and stolen base.

"Our guys did great at the plate. They each had a great approach," said Tarazon. "We should have scored a little more to make it a little easier, but our defense and pitching pulled through."

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Shutt ended a two-on-two-out threat in relief of Hong, who was pulled after giving up a single and a walk.

Hong allowed just three hits, a a walk and had a strikeout to earn his fifth win of the season.

The Oxnard bullpen found trouble in the sixth when El Toro loaded the bases with one out and scored a run on a fielder's choice.

Solis relieved Shutt and got the second hold in as many innings when Adame made a diving stop and took it second unassisted for the third out. Solis pitched a perfect seventh to earn the save in just his second appearance of the season.

"This is a great group of kids," said Tarazon after his team's school-record 21st win. "We have a bunch of guys that believe in themselves, believe in each other and put the ball in play. We're riding the wave right now. We're on a roll."