Alai’s walk-off double leads Estancia to win over rival Costa Mesa

With two outs and runners on first and second base in the bottom of the seventh of a tie game, Estancia High senior Jeff Alai could remember the advice of his late father, Jamie.

The father, who died of cancer in January, would tell his son to relax and just have fun. With one big hit at the Big A, Jeff Alai definitely had fun.

Alai knocked a 2-2 pitch to the right-field corner for a walk-off RBI double that gave Estancia a 7-6 Orange Coast League win over rival Costa Mesa and clinched a playoff spot Monday at Angel Stadium. The victory also gave Estancia (16-8, 9-2 in league) the Paul Troxel trophy for winning the rivalry series, 2-1.

It has been a trying senior year for Alai, 18, who did not play in the two previous games against Costa Mesa (10-16, 5-6). He said he has dealt with a sprained ankle this season. That was frustrating.

The loss of his father, who also coached him, was assuredly more painful than that.

“My father passed away in January,” Alai said after celebrating with his teammates. “Through the whole offseason I was just trying to get ready for my senior season and he passed away and it hit me really hard. I stopped working out for like a month. That really hurt me going into the season. Then I sprained my ankle. Overall I was just really having a bad season.”

Costa Mesa rallied from a 6-0 deficit to tie it up, 6-6, with three runs in the sixth inning. The Mustangs nearly grabbed the lead but Estancia held them off. Eagles pitcher Spencer Stern retired the side in order in the top of the seventh to set up Estancia’s dramatics.

After two outs, junior Joe Stukkie singled to left. Then Stern walked before Alai came up with his huge double to score Stukkie for the game-winning run that set off a celebration.

“That couldn’t have happened to a greater kid for Jeff to have that moment with what he has been through in his personal life the past eight months,” Estancia Coach Nate Goellrich said.

Estancia won the Battle for the Bell baseball series for the eighth straight year. Goellrich was more pleased with another streak, he said, as his Eagles won their eighth straight game, and have been victorious in 14 of their past 17 games.

They have been finding a ways to win during a season that included a five-game losing skid early on.

“Winning eight in row and 14 of 17 is a credit to our guys,” Goellrich said. “Our program has been through so much, with the field and everything. Everyone was kind of down with no facility and that’s why we struggled early. But these guys are a great group of kids. I can’t say enough about them and to clinch a playoff spot here and beat the rival, that’s awesome. You can’t ask for a better story from our guys.”

Goellrich said he put Estancia on the waiting list a couple years ago to have a game played at Angel Stadium. For Costa Mesa to be the opponent, Goellrich, a former Mesa assistant, said it was “the ultimate dream.”

Jake McIntyre gave Estancia an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single to center field that scored Trevor Brown, who had doubled.

Estancia then scored five runs in the third inning, when the Eagles benefited from two hit batters. Stern highlighted the inning with a three-run triple. Stern scored on Alai’s sacrifice fly. Colin Gardner, McIntyre, Brown and Stukkie also scored.

Costa Mesa, however, did not fold. The Mustangs scored three runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth. Omar Munoz delivered a big two-run double to the right corner in the sixth to tie the score, 6-6.

“I told my guys at the end of the game, I said ‘If you fight like that I’ll walk through fire with you. I’ll lead you anywhere,’” Costa Mesa Coach Paul Grady said. “‘If you fight like that every day I’m proud to lead you.’ That’s really all you can say. It was a good game. In the end they got the hits they needed and they beat us. You tip your hat and get ready for the next one.”

steven.virgen@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveVirgen