Baseball/Softball: So far, so good for Laguna baseball
Mike Bair had hoped that facing tough nonleague opponents in the first three weeks of the season would help prepare his Laguna Beach High baseball team for the Orange Coast League race.
That nonleague schedule did help the Breakers, who proved more than ready for the start of league play.
Within a five-day period starting March 20, Laguna scored a total of 29 runs, allowed only one, and is 2-0 in league competition.
The Breakers began their bid for a repeat OCL title March 20 at Costa Mesa. The Breakers tagged the Mustangs with a 15-1 loss. Tuesday on their own Skipper Carrillo Field, they scored another 14-run victory by shutting out Saddleback, 14-0.
The two wins put Laguna at 3-4 overall.
“It was a pretty good start to league for us,” Bair said.
In Tuesday’s win, its third in its last four outings, Laguna jumped on Saddleback for six runs in the bottom of the first inning and never let up. The Breakers tacked on three more runs in the second, two more in the third, one in the fourth and their final two in the sixth.
They outhit the Roadrunners (0-2 league), 14-4. Sophomore Dante Faicchio doubled twice in a three for five performance that included two RBIs and three runs scored. Junior Alex Baker also had three hits (three for four) including a double and RBI, and freshman Jeff Bruyntjens singled twice with an RBI and run scored.
Seniors Anthony Norelli and Jake Smith (double) and junior Jack Simon each had a hit and RBI, junior Will McInerny had an RBI, and junior Zak Kovacic doubled.
Sophomore Ashton Goddard (1-2) threw four innings, allowed two hits and two walks with three strikeouts in earning his first win of the season. Senior Cole Coscino threw two innings and junior John Ogden one inning.
“We had our hitters hitting, ran the bases well, and our pitchers were challenging hitters,” Bair said. “We had all facets of our game going and executed things correctly.
“Dante (Faicchio) and Alex (Baker) had big games on offense, Jack (Simon) made a couple of great defensive plays at second base, and Ashton (Goddard) did really well in his four innings on the mound.”
The Breakers also were working on all cylinders in their 15-1 league-opening win March 20 at Costa Mesa. They scored twice in the top of the first, put up seven runs in the third for a 9-0 lead, and scored five times in the fourth to increase their lead to 14-1.
Bruyntjens went two for three with a double, walk, four RBIs and two runs scored. Junior Connor Bastile went two for three with a double and two RBIs, Coscino, Smith, Simon and senior Callan Cochran had two hits each, and Bastile, McInerny, Norelli, Coscino and Baker (triple) drove in runs.
The Breakers outhit the Mustangs, 18-5.
McInerny struck out five, gave up three hits and a run in four innings, in improving to 2-0. His first win came during a 2-1 victory March 11 over St. Paul.
“We got ahead early and didn’t let up,” Bair said. “We put runners on base in every innings, got that key hit or key walk, and put constant pressure on them.”
Laguna is back in league action at 3:15 p.m. Friday at Estancia. The Eagles are 1-1 in league after Tuesday’s 5-4 win over Costa Mesa.
“We are anticipating them to be pretty tough,” Bair said of the Eagles. “It’s a tough field to play on.”
The Breakers have two league contests on tap next week. They host Calvary Chapel Tuesday and host Godinez Thursday to end the first round of league play. Both games start at 3:15 p.m.
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Softball
The Breakers, who entered the week 0-5, took on Garden Grove Santiago in a nonleague game Thursday. The score from the game, a make-up game between the teams whose season opener March 2 was rained out, wasn’t available at press time.
Laguna plays two games next week beginning with a 4 p.m. home nonleague game Monday against Bolsa Grande. The Breakers also host Saddleback Valley Christian in a 4 p.m. nonleague game Wednesday.
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Twitter: @MikeSciacca