Baseball Notebook: Consecutive Games Between Teams Bring Rivals Closer

Leading Off

Rivals began renewing their respective season series last week, with an opportunity to make a major impact in league standings. Most leagues match teams up for three games during the regular season. The first round of head-to-head games, when each squad got its first view of its opponents' reshaped rosters, took place during the second half of March.

After feeling each other out early, there’s no margin for error in the recent flurry of home-and-home battles. Teams play consecutive games against the same opponent, with each taking turns to host.

There were a number of eye-opening results, so let’s take a look at some of the highlights of recent league play.

Touch 'Em All

Dana Hills sweeps San Clemente

The Dolphins (12-6, 5-1) dominated San Clemente in last week's two-game set. Dana Hills blanked the Tritons (11-10, 0-6) in both matchups, winning at home, 2-0, on Wednesday and 8-0 in Friday’s trip to San Clemente. Pitchers Eric Hsieh and Eric Pierce tossed consecutive complete games, spearheading the Dolphins’ dismantling of their struggling South Coast rivals.

Tesoro and Capistrano Valley Split

An 11-10 loss at Tesoro on Friday snapped the Cougars’ 10-game win streak. Capistrano Valley (14-6, 4-2) tallied six runs in the final two innings, but the late comeback bid wasn’t enough to catch the Titans (10-11, 3-3)  Tesoro senior Connor Fraser had a triple and three RBIs in the victory.

The Titans’ victory avenged their 9-5 loss at Capistrano Valley on Tuesday. The Cougars jumped ahead of Tesoro, 9-0, after three innings. Senior third baseman Kyle Matzek collected two RBIs, while junior Cristian Salina smacked two doubles for three RBIs.

“You’ve got to stay sharp in the South Coast,” Cougars veteran coach Bob Zamora said. “I think we’ve got a solid group of players this season and they’re ready to compete.”

Laguna Beach Bounces Estancia out of Contention

The Orange Coast-leading Breakers (17-2, 7-0) buried Estancia four games behind them. Laguna Beach beat the Eagles, 5-1, in their March 18 league-opener and handled them again in two meetings last week. Breakers sophomore Larry Stewart was 2 for 4 with two RBIs in Monday’s 9-6 victory. Chris Paul pitched seven shutout innings to earn a 2-0 win in Wednesday’s contest at Estancia (8-9, 3-4).

Sea Kings Halt Losing Streak

Corona del Mar (10-6, 5-4) broke out of a recent Pacific Coast freefall with Monday’s 7-2 home win over Irvine (4-12, 1-8). The Sea Kings, who had lost three consecutive league games, were led by junior Brent Lawson, who had a double and two RBIs.

Trabuco Hills Takes Charge Against Aliso Niguel

The Mustangs (16-2, 9-0) made yet another statement with two victories over Aliso Niguel (13-6, 3-3). University of Seattle-bound senior Jake Chutney was 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs in Trabuco Hills’ 4-0 win on Wednesday. Pitcher Kevin Wade silenced the Wolverines' bats with a one-hitter at Aliso Niguel.

The teams met once more on Friday, when the Wolverines visited Trabuco Hills for the teams' final meeting of the season. Aliso Niguel’s Brett Barker blasted a two-run double, but it wasn’t enough to save his team from a 5-4 loss and a season three-game sweep at the hands of the Mustangs, who stand alone atop the Sea View League standings.

“Our league is tough and you’ve got to play consistent baseball to have a chance,” Trabuco Hills coach Michael Burns said. “We’re just hoping we can continue to stay on a roll.”

El Toro Takes Two from Mission Viejo in Doubleheader

Though this Monday’s doubleheader matchup between the Diablos and Chargers was a nonleague affair, its result will likely affect the CIF Southern Section coaches' polls, which, in turn, will affect playoff seedings.

El Toro (15-6, 2-2 in South Coast) again leaned on tremendous pitching during the sweep of Mission Viejo at Saddleback College. The Diablos (12-9, 2-2 in Sea View) have suddenly dropped five of six contests since an undefeated run in the Anaheim Lions Tournament.

El Toro pitcher Ryan Kayoda allowed two runs in five solid innings of work in the opener, a 3-2 Chargers win. Junior outfielder Mitchell Tolman knocked in two runs in the nightcap to help lead El Toro to a 3-1 eight-inning victory. Five Chargers pitchers contributed to the team’s one-run, four-hit performance.

Seeing-Eye Singles

Random observations of recent baseball occurrences in Orange County

* Laguna Beach pitching ace Chris Paul continues to be a horse at the top of the team’s rotation. Paul, a senior, recorded his fourth complete game of the season against Orange Coast rival Estancia on Wednesday. His strikeout-to-walk-ratio stands at 46 to 3 and he has tossed at least six inning in each of his six starts. Paul, who plays shortstop when he's not pitching, has 28 RBIs and 13 extra-base hits to complement his 5-1 pitching record.

* Trabuco Hills’ starting lineup includes four players batting .400 or better. Aside from senior Matt Harris, the other three (Adam Vargas, Sean McCarrell and Kevin Wade) are sophomores. The Mustangs should continue to make noise for quite a while.

* JSerra continues its hot streak with two Trinity League victories over Servite and another at Santa Margarita last week. The Lions have won 10 in a row and stand at 17-3. All signs point toward JSerra growing into a confident team ready to make plenty of noise in in the May playoffs.

* Los Alamitos and the rest of the Sunset League are trying to keep pace with Edison (16-1, 9-0), the top-ranked team in Division 1. In their last league game on Wednesday, the Griffins, who currently are battling Marina and Fountain Valley for automatic playoff berths, defeated Newport Harbor, 8-0. Junior Michael Farris (3-1) threw five innings for the victory and combined with two other pitchers for a five-hitter. Senior right fielder Moises Montes hit a home run.

Curtain Call

Here are highlights from a Q&A session with El Toro pitcher Garrett Mundell. The Fresno State signee is 4-0 with a 1.20 ERA and tossed his first career no-hitter on April 4 against Woods Cross, Utah, in the Anaheim Lions tournament.

TD: Congratulations on the no-hitter. What was working for you on the mound?

GM: My location was great, especially my off-speed pitches. That helped set up everything else and I was able to pound the zone with my fastball.

TD: Have you ever held a team hitless in your entire playing career?

GM: Nope, that was a first for me. I’ve definitely pitched well in plenty of games but someone always managed to get a hit against me. It’s a cool experience for sure.

TD: How long till you start thinking about going after no-hitter No. 2?

GM: It’s not something you can really let yourself think about. You can only head out to the mound, pitch your game and let the rest fall into place.

TD: You and teammate Tyler Brashears (7-1, 0.76 ERA) have been scary good at the top of the rotation. Do you sense any kind of fear when batters take you guys on?

GM: Tyler has been awesome and he throws some pitchers that are just nasty. We’re both locating our pitches and doing a good job avoiding mistakes. We definitely want other teams to feel intimidated when they face us.

Games of the Week

Capistrano Valley versus El Toro, Wednesday and Friday, 3:15 p.m.

Though each team currently trails South Coast League-leading Dana Hills, each is poised to make a run at the league title. El Toro beat Capistrano Valley, 3-1, last month but since then the Cougars have had an impressive run, which includes their recent 10-game win streak.

Closing Number

4

There are four teams within two games of the South Coast League lead. It appears to be the area’s most tightly-contested grouping and the title race should go down to the wire.

Tyler Donohue's "Baseball Report" appears weekly on all Orange County Patch sites.