More marks for baseball program
In the late stages of the regular season, the Laguna Beach baseball team is still setting records.
The Breakers set four new marks for the program in a 32-2 Orange Coast League victory April 29 over visiting Godinez. For the record, the milestones set were: runs in a game (32), runs in a single inning (17), hits in a game (27) and margin of victory (30 runs).
“From top to bottom, everyone had a hand in that one,” Laguna Coach Jeff Sears said. “It was great to see everyone contribute.”
Leading the charge on offense was Chris Paul, who went five for six with eight runs batted in. Among Paul’s five hits was a grand slam, two-run home run and double.
Paul also got the pitching win in a game halted after five innings.
The comfort level wasn’t as wide Tuesday when Laguna hosted Costa Mesa, but the Breakers did come away with a 3-2 win over the Mustangs to run their league record to 12-0 and overall mark to a school-record 22-2. Paul went two for three with two runs scored and Travis Clawson drove in two runs on a pair of sacrifices.
Keaton Jones (5-0, five saves) got the win.
Sears said that Paul will start Friday at Costa Mesa as the Breakers attempt to sweep the three-game league series with the Mustangs.
“Our goal is to stay focused and to peak at the right time, and I think that we have been working toward that,” Sears said.
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Softball
Laguna went 1-1 in its last two Orange Coast League outings.
The Breakers fell for the second time this year to Calvary Chapel. The Eagles, who sit atop of the league standings, scored a 12-1 home win. They took a 6-0 lead through two innings, but Laguna got a run back in the fifth when Veronica Clancy’s RBI single scored Bailey Romatowski, who had walked.
Starter Haley Putnam had five strikeouts in a complete-game effort.
Laguna picked up its fourth league win — against two losses — with an impressive 13-2 win April 28 over visiting Estancia at Thurston Field. The Breakers took a two-run lead in the bottom of the first on two walks, a passed ball and Corey Kent’s RBI single. The Laguna defense kept the Eagles in check with double plays in in the second and third innings.
In the Laguna half of the third, Ali Lindsay and Putnam both walked and Karinna Reiss followed with a two-run double. In the fourth, doubles by Putnam and Kent, a two-RBI single by Clancy and a bases-clearing triple by Katie Anderson blew the game open.
Defensively for Laguna, Taylor Romatowski caught two fly balls in center field, one of which led to a double play in the third inning. Putnam, who started, struck out six over five innings and gave up one earned run on five hits. Putnam also scored three times.
The two-game split left Laguna in second place in the league standings. The Breakers, who are seeking the program’s first CIF playoff berth, close out the regular season next week with a Tuesday home game (3:15 p.m.) against Costa Mesa at Thurston Field and a Thursday game (3:15 p.m.) at Saddleback.