ORANGE COUNTY PREP BASEBALL : Roundup : Westminster Offense Silenced by Western

Much of the success that Westminster High School’s baseball team has enjoyed this week and this season seemed to catch up with the Lions Wednesday night.

Westminster, one of Orange County’s best hitting teams, managed only two hits in a 6-0 loss to Western in the championship game of the West Anaheim Lions Club Tournament at Glover Stadium.

Pioneer left-hander Mark Holiday (6-2) pitched a complete game, striking out nine and walking two and limiting the Lions to two singles.

That’s no easy task. The Lions entered with a team batting average of .330 and had hit three home runs in their last two tournament game victories at Glover. But that statistic, according to Westminster Coach Ken Ostrowski, hindered more than helped the Lions Wednesday night.

“We didn’t use much intelligence at the plate tonight,” Ostrowski said. “We’ve hit a couple of homers here, and everyone got into the macho thing, trying to hit the long ball. Instead of going the opposite way against the left-hander, we tried to pull the ball and grounded out.

“You’ve got to give credit to Holiday, too. It was a good performance.”

Holiday, who has six complete games, three two-hitters and struck out 60 this season, pitched most of the game with a five-run cushion.

Western (12-5-1) scored one run in the first on Troy Babbitt’s RBI double, one in the second on an error, and three in the third on Mario Juarez’s RBI single, Gary Fernandez’s fielder’s choice and Jason Diplock’s suicide squeeze. A Westminster throwing error aided the Pioneers in the third.

The Lions (13-3-1) never recovered.

“We had won the El Segundo Tournament (in March) and came in thinking we would collect the trophies tonight, and I think that hurt us,” Ostrowski said. “I’m not sure we were prepared to play, and that had something to do with us giving up five early runs.”

Western came prepared to hit. Dave Brown opened the game with a single off Brian Stubbs (6-2), and Babbitt lined his double over left fielder Dean Eddy’s head.

Brown was held up around third but headed for home when the relay throw from the outfield was bobbled. Westminster second baseman Scott Turner recovered and threw to catcher Dan Villegas, who blocked Brown from the plate for the apparent out. But the umpire ruled that Villegas never applied the tag, and Brown was safe.

In the Anaheim Tournament, consolation championship:

Fullerton 2, Woodbridge 1--Jeff Bailey singled to drive in Steve Pearson in the fifth inning for Fullerton in Glover Stadium. Stathy Papadatos allowed five hits and struck out two in a complete game for the Indians.

La Quinta 8, Dana Hills 3--La Quinta took advantage of five walks and two errors to score six runs in the first as the Aztecs won fifth place. Tony Liccardo hit a two-run homer in the sixth for La Quinta, 15-2 overall.

University 10, Rim of the World 7--Jerry Gandera’s bases-loaded triple drove in two runs to lead University.

University is 7-10-1.

In the San Luis Obispo Tournament

Ocean View 13, Santa Maria 5--The Seahawks, led by Mike Fyhrie with three hits and an RBI, had 11 hits in the first three innings. David Holdridge had two hits, Eric Christopherson had two RBIs and Mike Danduran tripled in a run. Dan Naulty (4-1) struck out two for Ocean View (6-1, 10-4).

In the Chino Tournament:

Laguna Beach 8, San Clemente 8--San Clemente overcame a two-run lead in the seventh to tie the score, but a tournament tiebreaker declared Laguna Beach the winner of the third-place game because of more total bases.