ORANGE COUNTY PREP BASEBALL : Sunset League : Edison Rallies Again to Beat Westminster

Ken Ostrowski looked like a man burning a 20-year mortgage only to discover that his foundation was cracked, the roof leaked and the attic was teeming with bats.

With his Lions ahead by three runs, 7-4, and needing only an out to win Friday, the Westminster High School baseball coach and his team seemed to be coasting to another Sunset League laugher.

But three batters later, Edison had scored four runs, and it went on to beat Westminster, 8-7.

Rod Serling wasn’t around to tell Ostrowski that his team--which had led from the first inning, at one point by as many as six runs--had merely journeyed into the Twilight Zone. This turn of events was only too real.

“That’s the game of baseball,” said Ostrowski, with a shrug. “You shouldn’t throw that ball into the dugout and give them the winning run.”

Ron La Ruffa, Edison’s coach, didn’t share Ostrowski’s gift for understatement.

“I’m not believing it happened, no way,” said an incredulous La Ruffa, narrowly escaping a water-bucket drenching from an elated Todd Bosworth. “Against one of the best pitchers in the county? And with a five-run lead? I’m still not believing it.”

But he should. In an earlier meeting, he watched the Chargers overcome a 5-0 Westminster lead to win, 6-5. Moreover, La Ruffa says his team doesn’t come to life until the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

“I still don’t believe it,” La Ruffa continued, “it did not happen.”

But it did. With Edison trailing by 7-4 with two outs and two men on base, Joe Martin hit a triple into center field, driving in Bill Bertucci, who had singled, and Bernie Colacchio, who had walked. Terrence Tewell then singled, scoring Martin and tying the game.

Then the game took an even stranger turn. Tewell stole second base, moved to third on an overthrow and trotted in with the winning run when the ball was overthrown, again--this time into the dugout. The development prompted a happy chorus of “We are alive, Chargers” from the long-silent Edison cheerleaders.

Edison scored six of its runs off Westminster sophomore Ryan Klesko, who relieved by John Gonzales after 4 innings, moments after he allowed a solo home run. Klesko was able to shut down Edison in the fifth.

In the sixth inning, though, he walked four batters, forcing in two runs. He struck out two of the first three batters he faced in the seventh before Edison began its rally.

“I thought he was effective,” Ostrowski said of Klesko, now 2-1. “He made some good pitches, but some of their hits had eyes.”

Westminster took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, scored three more in the third and another in the fourth.

Frank Vidalis, who relieved Mike Guccione in the sixth, was the winning pitcher.

With the win, Edison (5-2 and 11-5) moved into second place, one-half game ahead of Westminster, which slipped to 4-2-1 and 10-2-1.

In other Sunset League games:

Fountain Valley 9, Huntington Beach 5--Fountain Valley scored five runs in the third and added four more in the fourth to take a 9-2 lead at Fountain Valley. Cal Davis, Huck Flinn, Mark Magraan and Phil Sakelios each had two hits for the Barons (2-5, 5-9). Sophomore Steve Montgomery earned the victory. The Oilers are 2-4-1 in league.

Ocean View 7, Marina 1--Mike Fyhrie (5-1) pitched a complete-game two-hitter, striking out 10 at Marina. Eric Christopherson had two hits and two RBIs and Matt Bertram hit a home run for the Seahawks (6-1, 9-4). Marcus Nelson took the loss for Marina (1-6).