South Coast League : Snoddy Comes Through for Irvine in 3-2 Win

Brian Snoddy was on the pitcher’s mound for Irvine High School Thursday and Bob Flint, his coach, had no intention of asking him to leave. Not even after Snoddy walked two straight Mission Viejo hitters to bring the tying run to the plate in the seventh inning of a game the Vaqueros needed for their first outright league championship.

“No,” Flint said, “we were gonna win with him or we were gonna lose with him.”

Flint’s faith was rewarded, but by the narrowest of margins. Snoddy got his 10th victory of the season and Irvine got its South Coast League championship, but only after Irvine right fielder Brian Brocoff cut down the tying run at the plate in the top of the seventh with a near-perfect throw to preserve Irvine’s 3-2 victory over the Diablos at Irvine.

The victory gives the Vaqueros a 10-2 league record, one game better than streaking Capistrano Valley (9-3, 17-6). Mission Viejo (7-4, 16-6) got the league’s third playoff spot. The Diablos were scheduled to complete a game against Dana Hills today--the result of an upheld Mission Viejo protest--but that game won’t be finished because it will have no effect on the standings.

Flint decided against going to his bullpen in the regular-season finale, but credit Brocoff with a save anyway. He threw a strike to Irvine catcher Steve Habermehl, who applied the tag on Mission Viejo designated hitter Jack Bailey on a close play at home.

“It looked like the guy slid a little late,” Habermehl said. “I didn’t know where the plate was, but I knew it was close. It was some way to end it, that’s for sure.”

Snoddy got himself into difficulties by walking the first two hitters to start the seventh inning. Phil Mangram moved Don Roberson and Bailey into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, bringing up Tony Arnone. Arnone worked the count to 3-1 before grounding a Snoddy pitch between first and second, scoring Roberson from third. Brocoff, who was playing shallow, fielded the ball and came up throwing.

“I thought (Bailey) would score,” Mission Viejo Coach Ron Drake said. “He had a good jump; the guy just made a good throw. They had to make a play to win it, and the guy made it.”

Snoddy (10-2) allowed four hits, struck out four and walked three. Irvine had only four hits, and none of them came from triple-crown candidate Bobby Hamelin. Hamelin, who entered the week leading Orange County in home runs (nine) and RBIs (38) and only percentage points behind La Quinta’s Troy Paulsen in batting average, went 0 for 3. He reached base on an error in the first, flied out deep to left in the third and was struck out by Diablo reliever Matt Lackie in the fifth.

Irvine got a run in the third on a single by freshman Terry Rahmatulla and Mike Moceri’s RBI triple down the right-field line. George Koutures had an RBI sacrifice fly and Rahmatulla a run-scoring single in the fourth to give the Vaqueros a 3-0 lead.

Irvine will take a 19-8-1 overall record into the Southern Section 2-A playoffs, which open next Friday. Flint said his team isn’t exactly riding a wave of momentum entering postseason play.

“The last couple of weeks, we’ve been like that cat in the poster, just hangin’ on,” he said.

In other South Coast League action:

San Clemente 4, El Toro 3 (10 innings)--Eric Bartlett singled to right field with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Tritons to their first league victory at San Clemente High.

Jeff Foster, a sophomore right-hander, went the distance on a six-hitter and retired 16 of the last 17 batters he faced to help San Clemente close the season 1-11 in league, 5-17 overall. Eric Brass had four hits for the Chargers, who close at 3-9 and 10-16.

Laguna Hills 1, Dana Hills 0--Jeff Hendrickson singled home Jay Christensen in the sixth to give the Hawks the victory at Laguna Hills. Junior left-hander Jon Willard pitched a complete game for Laguna Hills, allowing four hits, striking out 10 and walking three.