Southern Section Baseball Playoffs : 2-A : Nothing Goes Right for Mission Viejo, 5-0

Last time out, the Mission Viejo High School baseball team got a late lift from a Murphy--its own Brendan Murphy, the guy who produced a sixth-inning double to upset Diamond Bar in Friday’s Southern Section 2-A quarterfinals.

But this time out, all they got was an early introduction to Murphy’s Law.

In the first three innings of the Diablos’ semifinal game against Artesia Tuesday, almost everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

Artesia (21-7) scored five runs, and went on to a 5-0 victory at UC Irvine’s Anteater Field behind Gunnar Seedborg’s four-hitter.

The Mission Viejo partisans might have sensed something looming when Artesia scored three runs in the first inning without the benefit of a hit. In fact, the Suburban League champions put only one ball into play, and it didn’t clear the infield.

But when the dust settled, the Pioneers had a 3-0 lead--the result of two walks, a wild pitch, a throwing error by an otherwise reliable second baseman, and another by a catcher who hadn’t committed a miscue all year.

The rest of the damage was done in the third inning when Diablo starter Jack Bailey (9-5) gave up three doubles, a single and two runs to the four hitters he faced.

Mission Viejo Coach Ron Drake brought in reliever Matt Lackie, who didn’t provide much relief, walking the next two batters. So Drake called for Kyle Abbott, who finally retired the side with a pair of strikeouts.

It was that kind of day for the Diablos (19-7), who couldn’t rally even though their three relievers held the Pioneers to one hit over the last five innings.

“I was not real impressed with their hitting,” Drake said. “But they were probably not real impressed with our hitting, either.”

The Diablos were anything but timely Tuesday. They posted two men in scoring position with two outs in every inning from the first to the fourth, as well as the seventh, and failed to produce a run against a fine Pioneer infield.

“We couldn’t come back today,” Drake said. “They played real solid defense. Their shortstop (Steve Rott) made every play and their third baseman (Shane May) picked a couple off his chest.

“But I never would have thought we’d get shut out, I’ll tell you.”

Seedborg, who has pitched 25 innings in four playoff games, was not overpowering. He struck out only five, while walking five. In contrast, Bailey and Abbott combined to strike out nine in six innings.

But Seedborg went the distance and was effective.

“He’s got a rubber band arm,” Guggiana said. “He pitched seven innings on Friday and seven last Tuesday, and we just hoped he’d last through five today. But he just wanted to stay in.

“I didn’t really think he had his stuff this time, but the defense was phenomenal.”

Drake said it was difficult to advance so far, only to stumble one step short of Dodger Stadium and the final game.

On the other hand . . . “I wouldn’t mind making the semis every year, either,” he said.