Southern Section 2-A : Reinders Breaks Slump to Carry Mission Viejo, 6-5

Mission Viejo High School left fielder Ray Reinders broke out a hitting slump with two triples and drove in three runs Tuesday to lead the Diablos to a 6-5 win over Mountain View at UC Irvine.

Reinders’ second triple, a shot to the base of the center-field fence, drove in Bob Brucato with the winning run with two out in the seventh inning and moved the Diablos into the Southern Section’s 2-A championship game Saturday at Blair Field in Long Beach.

Mission Viejo (20-7) will play top-seeded Diamond Bar (26-2) for the championship. Diamond Bar advanced with a 9-8 win over Norte Vista in eight innings.

It marks the third straight year a South Coast League team has qualified for the 2-A title game. Capistrano Valley won the championship in 1983 and Laguna Hills captured the title last year.

Reinders had been in an 0-for-10 slump and had struck out five times in three previous playoff games. But that was not indicative of the type of season Reinders had. The junior hit .389 with five home runs.

“What a time to come out of a slump,” Diablos Coach Ron Drake said. “At the beginning of the year, I honestly didn’t think we would go this far with a junior infield. But at the end of the year, I looked back and saw we beat Fountain Valley and Lompoc and thought maybe we could.”

Fountain Valley and Lompoc will be playing for championships Friday night at Anaheim Stadium. Fountain Valley will vie for the 4-A title and Lompoc is making its second straight appearance in the 3-A championship game.

Mission Viejo had to beat a Mountain View team that had won 10 of 11 games after opening the season 5-7. The Vikings, who finished with a 15-9-1 record, chased Diablo starter Brucato in the sixth inning and tied the score, 5-5, in the process.

Brucato had won all three of the Diablos’ playoff games but the Vikings managed to get 10 hits and five runs against him, including catcher Danny Macias’ towering home run over the left-center field fence in the third inning that traveled an estimated 410 feet.

“I’m tired,” Brucato said. “I don’t have the same pop on my fastball, but Sean Campbell sure came through for us. That’s the way it’s been all season. Every other game it’s someone else who does the job.”

Brucato was being slightly modest. After leaving the mound, he moved to right field where he made a fine, running catch to save a run in the sixth inning. He also tripled, drove in two runs and scored the winning run.

“Bob Brucato pitched his heart out,” Drake said. “He was out of gas in the third inning, but he somehow got to the sixth and then makes the great defensive play when he goes to right. I also think that was the hardest Sean Campbell has thrown all season.”

Campbell (6-3) earned the victory by retiring all five batters he faced and striking out two with a good fastball and a slow curve. Drake said he will start Campbell in the championship game.

“Sean earned the start,” Drake said. “Brucato has thrown 85 innings going on three days rest and he’s tired.”

Mountain View opened with two runs in the first inning by loading the bases with three hits and then Brucato walked in two runs. But the Diablos quickly tied the score, 2-2, in the bottom of the first on a run-scoring triple by Brucato and a sacrifice fly by Reinders.

Mountain View jumped ahead, 4-2, in the third inning on Macias’ homer and an RBI triple by third baseman Chencho Corral but, once again, Mission Viejo responded in their half of the inning.

Leadoff hitter David Hori ripped a double to the gap in left-center and scored on Brucato’s infield out. The Diablos tied the score, 4-4, on Reinders’ first triple and then took the lead, 5-4, on a single by third baseman Mark Preston that scored Reinders.