All season long, the Rio Mesa High baseball team has deemphasized win-loss records.

"It's something we've never even talked about," said coach David Soliz. "At the end of the game, we don't mention the win or the loss. We've got such a young team, our whole focus is on getting better.

"If we just improve from game to game, everything will take care of itself."

Whatever the approach, wins and losses matter now.

Extending its season in both dramatic and opportune fashion, Rio Mesa scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, including the game-winner on Joe Ramirez's bouncing single into right field, to come away with a 3-2 victory over No. 3 seed Crescenta Valley in the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs Friday afternoon a Rio Mesa High.

"It's all about heart," said Ramirez, a junior center fielder. "We never stopped believing, because that's the kind of team we have."

Senior ace Jordan Lindebaum, who contributed three clutch innings of scoreless relief, echoed the sentiment.

"Whether it's 2-0 or tied or 18-0, we're never going to stop believing that we can come back. We're always going to believe in ourselves," said Lindebaum.

Crescenta Valley carried an 18-game winning streak into the quarterfinals. Rio Mesa's win streak was a decidedly more modest two games.

But the Spartans, with five juniors, two freshmen and one sophomore in the starting lineup, find themselves in Tuesday's semifinals.

After improving to 16-10, the Spartans will play host to Vista Murrietta. Crescenta Valley ends its season at 24-3.

"This is huge for us," said Ramirez. "Now we're going to go back to work Monday and get ready to play again."

The Spartans, playing their first home game in postseason, scored a single run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 2-1. Then they saved their most important rally of the season for the bottom of the seventh.

Matched against Crescenta Valley ace pitcher Dustin Emmons, who yielded just four hits through six innings, Rio Mesa came up clutch.

An infield single by Alex Ramirez, a line single by Eddie Castro and hit batter taken by Chase Crawford loaded the bases with no outs.

Randy Cervantes' sacrifice fly to center field tied the score. After Ralph Robles-Rivas drew a walk to reload the bases, Ramirez bounced his single into right field to score Castro.

Rio Mesa fell behind 2-0 in the top of the third.

Lindebaum, who pitched seven innings in Tuesday's second round, was summoned with one out and a runner on third to replace starter Robles-Rivas.

He induced a pop fly and a ground ball to strand the runner on third. He allowed just one hit in finishing his CIF-SS-mandated quota of 10 innings with one out in the sixth inning.

"We knew he would pitch three innings today," said Soliz. "In a perfect world, it would have been the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, but we needed him earlier."

Rio Mesa also got a key relief stint form Wes Cwiklo. The senior allowed two long fly-ball outs in the sixth, then pitched a hitless seventh to pick up the win.