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Sports

Zuvich's Blast Leads Cougars Over Dana Hills

Junior's two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, his second of the game, gives Capistrano Valley a 10-8 South Coast League victory.

A playoff atmosphere defined Friday afternoon’s South Coast League showdown between Dana Hills and Capistrano Valley. After splitting their first two games of the spring, the rivals’ rubber match carried a lot of weight when it comes to postseason implications, as each team tried to strengthen its chances with just over one week remaining in the regular season 

After defeating the Cougars, 3-2, at Dana Hills on Wednesday, the Dolphins traveled to Capistrano Valley with an opportunity to move into sole possession of second place and knock the Cougars out of contention. A game defined by power hitting -- the teams combined for four home runs -- was ultimately decided by a long ball, when Capistrano Valley junior Peter Zuvich sent a two-run shot soaring over the left-field wall for a walk-off home run in the eighth inning of the Cougars’ thrilling 10-8 victory.

"What a crazy baseball game," Capistrano Valley coach Bob Zamora said afterward with a smile.

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Zamora’s squad, already on the brink of elimination, fell behind early when Dana Hills (15-12, 7-5 in league) got on the scoreboard in the top of the second inning. Sophomore Grant Dyer drilled a three-run home run to deep left-center field, his first of the season, off Cougars starting pitcher Garrett Fleetwood.

Capistrano Valley (18-10, 5-5) quickly responded with three runs of their own over the next two innings. Catcher Allan Hahn drove in the Cougars’ first score with a sacrifice fly to center field in the bottom of the second. Designated hitter Cristian Salina, who currently sits atop the league with a .459 batting average, doubled down the left-field line to score juniors Gradeigh Sanchez and Jeff Ortega in the third to tie the score at three. 

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Cougars center fielder Bobby Lewis amazed all in attendance with a sensational play in the top of the third. The senior tracked down Ryan Kehlet’s blast to the warning track when he sprinted and fully extended into a leap, grabbing the ball and fearlessly flying into the outfield fence. 

Lewis, a player with a reputation for reckless abandon in the outfield, remained on the ground for several minutes after his catch. Eventually, he would walk off the field under his own power and return to action after an assessment by the Cougars’ training staff.

"It was the greatest catch I've ever seen in my life," Zamora said. "This young man ran head-on, full speed into a four-inch fence pole. After he caught the ball, he hit that pole and his nose was bleeding, but the kid still stays in the game. I've never seen anything like that." 

Capistrano Valley shortstop Kyle Matsek put the Cougars ahead 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth, when the senior sprinted in from third after a pitch from Dolphins starter Trevor Scott bounced away from catcher Brian Choi and to the backstop. 
Dana Hills again returned the game to a deadlock in the fifth, when Scott picked up an RBI on an infield single to third base, scoring senior Mark Wilson. 

With the score knotted at four, Capistrano Valley’s offense exploded in the bottom of the sixth inning. Zuvich, who struck out and grounded to the pitcher in his first two at-bats, led off the inning with a powerful home run over the left-field wall. After Sanchez and Ortega reached base with two outs, Salina stepped to the plate and flexed his muscles with yet another blast to left field. The junior finished with two home runs and six RBIs against the Dolphins in three games this season.

"We needed every one of those home runs," Zamora said. "Both teams came to swing today and it was just a brawl."

Despite entering the seventh inning down 8-4, Dana Hills ensured that the heavyweight South Coast bout would continue into extra innings. Fleetwood trotted out onto the mound in search of a complete-game victory, but the senior was chased with runners on first and second with one out. 

Zamora switched Lewis from center field to the mound to center field, but the move didn’t pan out the way he planned. Dolphins senior Pete Maris cut the deficit to 8-5 with an RBI double. Scott then reached first after being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kehlet, Dana Hills’ third baseman, came through with a clutch two-run single between second and first base. 

Shortstop Nick Hsieh then brought the game to an improbable 8-8 tie with one out in the seventh, grounding out to third base for a force out that allowed Scott to score. Dana Hills junior Dylan Eisner pitched a scoreless half of the seventh to send the game into extra innings. 

Cougars junior Casey Bennett battled through two singles in the eighth to keep the Dolphins at bay and give his team an opportunity to win the game. Pinch-hitter Stephen Short and Bennett began the bottom of the eighth with back-to-back strikeouts, but junior Connor Richmond worked a walk. Zuvich took a ball outside from Dolphins pitcher Chris Cretel before sizing up the next pitch and driving the game-winner well past the left-field fence, 350 feet away.

"I can't say enough about [Zuvich] because he spent part of the season on the bench earlier and fought to get more time," Zamora said, "We thought about pinch-hitting for him today after his first two at-bats, but we decided against it. I'm glad I stuck to my guns on that one."

Zuvich’s walk-off wallop gives Capistrano Valley a chance to claim either second or third place in the league standings with two wins next week. If the Cougars can defeat San Clemente (12-14, 0-9) on Wednesday and Friday, they will be assured a spot in the postseason thanks to their tie-breaker over Dana Hills, whose league schedule came to a close on Friday.

Zamora, a California coaching legend who earlier this season earned his 500th victory at Capistrano Valley, couldn’t help but expect the epic game that occurred against the Dolphins. 

"We're a 'blood and guts' team, just like they are," Zamora said. "The South Coast League is just nails. Anybody can win on a given day because we all swing the bats pretty good. No one ever quits on either side, so it's just a matter of who's going to get the last at-bat and the last big swing."

Dana Hills coach Tom Faris agreed about the league’s reputation for competitive play.

"There's only 12 games to decide who gets to go to the playoffs, so there's a lot on the line very time that you play," he said. “It’s just another game in the competitive South Coast. I think this is one of the best leagues in the country, so it is what it is.”

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