ORANGE COUNTY PREP BASEBALL : Pacific Coast League : Orange Making Itself at Home in New League

Orange High School proved it’s a legitimate contender in the Pacific Coast League race with a 17-8 victory Tuesday over Woodbridge at Bellah Field in Irvine.

It wasn’t exactly a pitchers’ duel. The teams had 26 hits, drew 12 walks and committed six errors, and Orange jumped to a 6-0 lead.

Woodbridge protested the game in the second inning after Orange’s Skip Tanner missed a suicide squeeze bunt attempt and runner Jose Mendoza was caught in a rundown. Mendoza was ruled safe because Warrior catcher Mike Sorenson had blocked the baseline.

The Warriors came back in the bottom of the inning and scored four runs to cut the lead to 6-4, but that was as close as they would get.

Orange scored six more times in the third inning. In the sixth, the Panthers scored four more runs on four hits, an error and a wild pitch. Paul Vinci scored the final run of the inning when he doubled to left field and scored on an error by shortstop Eric Brougher. Vinci was 3 for 5, scored three runs and drove in another.

Orange (3-1, 7-3) is in second place in the Pacific Coast League after defeating Woodbridge (3-1, 4-4). Trabuco Hills (4-0) leads the league after defeating Laguna Beach, 10-9, Wednesday.

Orange Coach Mel Baty has seen his team mature after finishing near the bottom of the Century League last year. The Panthers switched leagues when the Pacific Coast League was created.

“Last year, we would leave men on base all game long,” he said, “but this year the players have matured and are playing like veterans.”

Orange’s Tanner (1-1) started the game at catcher and also played first base before pitching three innings and yielding just one run.

The Panthers have been involved in five extra-inning games this year, winning four of them.

Laguna Hills 3, Costa Mesa 0--In his first start for Laguna Hills (1-3, 5-5), Mike Smedes pitched five innings, allowed 1 hit and struck out 6. Aaron Arredondo was 3 for 3 with an RBI. Costa Mesa is 0-4 in league.

Trabuco Hills 10, Laguna Beach 9 (eight innings)--Aaron Mangold walked with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth to force in Travis Brown for the Mustangs (4-0, 6-1-1). Jim McGrew was 4 for 5, with four RBIs and a home run. Winning pitcher Dave Lowery (1-0) pitched 3 innings, allowed a run and struck out six. Lowery was 3 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.