Loara Tournament : Loara Rallies to Beat Servite for Championship

No. 1-ranked Loara High School rallied to defeat Servite, 6-5, Saturday in the Loara baseball tournament final in Glover Stadium at Anaheim.

The Saxons (5-0), who won the tournament championship in 1983, had finished second the past two seasons.

“We came back three times tonight,” said Ray Moore, Loara coach. “Our kids never quit, but I know we still have things to work on before our league starts.”

Saxon Carlos Vargas drove in Brian Roberts with two out in the seventh inning with a single to right field to put Loara ahead, 6-5.

Loara reliever Alan Evans (2-0), replacing starter Andy Janney, came on in the fifth inning with none out and Loara trailing, 5-4. He allowed one run and one hit over three innings.

The Friars (4-1), ranked No. 2 in Orange County, built a 3-0 lead in the fourth when Brian Criss’ single to left field was misplayed by Carlos Castillo, allowing Mike Robertson and Mike Petko to score. Then, Corey Wentz singled to left to score Criss from second base.

Loara rallied with three runs in the fifth to tie the score, but Servite took a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the inning.

With Evans stopping Servite batters, the Saxons cut the lead to one run when Friar pitcher Todd Cook hit Scott Wood with the bases loaded.

In the seventh, Roberts tripled down the right-field line scoring Jeff Patterson, who led off the inning with a walk, tying the score, 6-6. With two out Vargas had the game-winning hit.

Evans shut down the Friars in the seventh, getting Chris Ulmer to bounce into a double play to preserve the victory.

In the third-place game:

Diamond Bar 10, Ocean View 0--Kyle Shuler hit a grand slam in the first inning for Diamond Bar (6-1). Tom Wilson hit two home runs--a bases-empty homer in the second inning and a three-run homer in the fifth--and pitched five innings, allowing one hit. Ocean View is 3-2.

In the consolation final:

El Dorado 2, Huntington Beach 0--Bret Boone hit a two-run home run in the third inning and Brian Behnke pitched a one-hitter in the Golden Hawks’ victory in Glover Stadium.

Chris Facione singled in the third inning and moved to third on an error and ground out before Boone’s third homer of the season. Behnke struck out nine and walked four.

Andy Lewin’s fourth-inning double was the only hit for Huntington Beach (3-2).

In the seventh-place game:

El Toro 2, Lakewood 1--The Chargers executed a delayed double steal with two out in the fifth inning for the winning run at El Toro. David Nemeth came home when the throw to second base to catch Adam Brass was in the dirt. Mike Hoelker (2-1) threw a two-hitter for El Toro (6-1). Lakewood is 3-2.

In consolation games:

Cypress 4, Anaheim 1--Jason Livingston retired the first 12 batters, had a no-hitter through five inning and wound up with a two-hitter at Cypress (3-3). Joey Young’s double broke up Livingston’s no-hit bid in the sixth.

Laguna Hills 5, University 4--The Hawks scored three runs in the seventh at Laguna Hills. Mike Smedes led off with a walk. With one out, Sean Hardy reached on an error, and Rob Milo’s infield single loaded the bases. Two more walks drove in the tying run, and the game-winner scored on an error. University (2-3) had one hit and four unearned runs.

Pacifica 5, Los Amigos 2--Mike Short pitched a two-hitter, striking out 13, for the host Mariners’ (2-3) victory. Rick Brodt ensured the victory with a run-scoring triple in the sixth, then scored on an error for the final score.

Western 5, St. Paul 1--Mark Holiday had a no-hitter for 6 innings as the Pioneers won at Western. Troy Babbitt had a home run and a single to drive in two runs for Western (3-2). St. Paul (2-3) scored its run in the seventh on a single and a triple.