ORANGE COUNTY PREP BASEBALL : Empire League : El Dorado Beats Loara, Remains in First Place

El Dorado High School showed why it will contend for the Empire League title as it stopped Loara, 6-5, Friday to remain in first place.

The Hawks (4-0, 12-1), the fourth-rated team in the Orange County Sportswriters’ Poll, have defeated Loara five straight times, dating back to 1985. They have won 10 straight this season.

“El Dorado is a tough team,” Saxon Coach Ray Moore said. “They’ve beaten us five straight times. I guess they don’t have any respect for Loara.”

With the score tied, 5-5, in the bottom of the fifth inning, junior Rene Ayalla drove in Phillip Nevin from third base for the winning run.

Loara (1-3, 8-3), the sixth-rated team, had a chance to tie it in the top of the sixth. With runners on first and second and none out, Jeff Patterson laid down a bunt. Hawk relief pitcher Peter Janicki fielded it and threw to Nevin at third base, nipping Brian Malaver.

That seemed to take the wind out of Loara. The next hitter, Craig Clayton bounced into an inning-ending double play.

Steve Gill came on to pitch for El Dorado in the seventh inning. With two on and two out, he struck out Dan Rodriguez to end the game.

El Dorado jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first on four doubles, but Loara came right back with three runs in the second.

The Hawks had 12 hits, and that pleased Coach Steve Gullotti. “Our hitting is legitimate, and we know it will get better, with El Dorado always being a very good second-half team,” he said.

Brian Behnke (2-0) picked up the win for El Dorado. Saxon Malaver was 3 for 4 with two RBIs.

In other Empire League play:

Esperanza 8, Pacifica 5--Bart Goldman had a two-run triple for the Aztecs (4-1, 10-1) at Pacifica. The Mariners are 2-2, 7-4.

Kennedy 10, Katella 2--The Fighting Irish (1-3, 4-7) scored six runs in the first at Kennedy.

Steve Rath was 3 for 3 and scored two runs, and Mark Roah was 2 for 4 and also scored two runs for Kennedy. Eric Franco, Rob Wilson and Bret Hepler had two RBIs each for Kennedy.

Greg Hansell (2-2) pitched a complete game to get the victory, and Mark Gerdes lasted of an inning for Katella (1-3).

Cypress 7, Los Alamitos 7 (8 innings, darkness)--Rob Nen hit a solo home run in the seventh inning and Los Alamitos (1-2-1, 5-7-1) scored an unearned run, also in the seventh, at home to send the game into extra innings.

Steve Winterburn was 2 for 4 with a home run, and John Gerringer was 4 for 4 for Cypress (1-2-1, 4-7-1).