Prep Baseball : Savanna Scores Twice in Seventh to Hand Valencia First Loss of Season

Savanna High School took its modest 2-2 record and group of relative unknowns to Valencia High Wednesday, where Orange County’s second-ranked team awaited. By afternoon’s end, the Rebels boarded their bus feeling decidedly better about themselves.

A 4-3, Orange League win over a team that had won its first six games will do wonders for a team’s self-esteem.

The Rebels managed to scrape up two runs in the top of the seventh inning, then looked hopefully to Robert Lee, a sophomore left-hander in only his second varsity appearence, to face the heart of the Valencia lineup in the bottom of the seventh.

After walking the leadoff hitter, Lee got the last three outs. He struck out the Tigers’ fourth and fifth hitters in the process, including Andy Ruscitto, who had six home runs in six games. This was Savanna’s day.

“They did what they had to to win,” Valencia Coach Kevin McConnell said. “We didn’t.”

Valencia took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth when Brett Gregory greeted Lee with a triple to the gap in left-center, scoring Tim Churchill, who had reached on an error. For a moment, it appeared as if the Tigers were on their way to remaining one of three unbeaten teams in the county.

But Savanna, in a style Coach Mike Quigley said is typical of his team, created two runs to win it in the seventh.

“We don’t have a whole lot of offensive firepower,” Quigley said. “We really lack the power hitter, so we have to scrap for what we get.”

John Scudellari, who finished with three hits in four at-bats, led off the inning by grounding a single up the middle. Trevor Hoffman followed by popping up a sacrifice bunt attempt. Churchill, Valencia’s pitcher, tried to field the ball but nearly kicked it into the Tiger dugout. Miguel Salas then walked to load the bases.

That brought up cleanup hitter Robert Brocki, who hit a slow ground ball to shortstop Jim Campanis. Campanis got the force out at second, but the relay throw to first was too late to get Brocki. Scudellari, meanwhile, scored the tying run.

The Rebels got the go-ahead run when Tim Wickell hit a bounding ball over the head of Gregory at third base, scoring Hoffman. After Lee used a few sweeping curve balls to end it, Savanna players began asking, “No. 2 who?”

“We knew they were the No. 2 team in the county,” Quigley said. “Everybody’s been picking Valencia, Magnolia and Western in our league, and they may be correct in their assumption. But we feel we can play with anybody. This was a chance for us to get a lot of recognition in a hurry.”

The Rebels took the lead in a hurry, scoring twice in the first inning on RBI singles by Wickell and Don Abbott. Gregory prevented a big inning by depriving Brocki of an extra-base hit with a diving, backhanded catch of a line drive down the third-base line.

Troy Barnhart tripled to lead off the Valencia first then, two outs later, stole home to give the Tigers their first run. Savanna starter Tim Pittman, who worked nine innings of the Rebels’ 13-inning win over Magnolia last Friday, held the Tigers scoreless from there before dragging his tired arm to the dugout after the fourth inning.

“After the fourth, he just came to me and said, ‘Coach, I’ve had enough,’ ” Quigley said.

In other Orange League action:

Brea-Olinda 5, Anaheim 1--David Kain hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning to help the Wildcats defeat the Colonists at Glover Stadium.

Tony Sizemore added two hits and two RBIs for Brea, which improves to 1-1 in league and 3-4 overall. Steve Chacon started for the Wildcats but had to leave the game with an arm injury after pitching to two batters. He was relieved by Bill VanderHuel, who pitched through the fifth inning and earned the victory.