Orange League Baseball : Valencia’s Big Rally Ties Western, 13-13

After more than three hours, the baseball teams of Valencia and Western high schools played to a 13-13 tie Friday in the Orange League opener for each. Despite the final score, there was definitely a winner and a loser in this one. You figure it out:

- Hack Mitchell, Western coach, asked reporters to give him a moment to “take three deep breaths” before answering questions. Behind Mitchell, Western players took turns muttering to themselves and slamming bats into the grass around the visitors’ dugout at Valencia’s baseball field.

- Kevin McConnell, Valencia coach, and his players formed what seemed to be a community smile after the game, congratulating themselves after they scored nine runs in the seventh inning to tie the score at 13-13.

The game then was called because of darkness.

“We lost this game,” Mitchell said. “Those Valencia kids have hearts as big as their bodies. To score nine runs in the last inning, that’s just incredible.”

A fair statement since, up until the seventh, Valencia played a brand of baseball that might have killed vaudeville. Valencia fielders committed six errors; Valencia pitchers walked seven batters, hit two batters and committed a balk.

“We didn’t play very well,” McConnell said.

A fair understatement. Valencia led, 4-3, after four innings, taking the lead in the fourth on Mike Edwards’ two-run home run.

But Western scored four runs in the fifth, three on Doug McConhay’s home run, to take a 7-4 lead. That increased to 11-4 in the sixth. Western’s Craig May hit a two-run single in the seventh to make the score 13-4.

Even when Valencia’s Rudy Lopez hit a grand slam in the seventh, which made the score 13-9, it all seemed an exercise in futility.

Then Edwards and Anthony Davis walked and scored on a double by Keef Leasure to make it 13-11. Leasure scored on a triple down the right-field line by Allen Castellanos, and it was 13-12. Sam Lopez was inserted as a pinch-runner at third and scored on a passed ball by Western catcher Gary Fernandez.

Tie game, 13-13, but as far as McConnell was concerned, “this was a win. We had this game lost, and we come back to tie. Instead of being a game down in the standings, it’s a half a game.”

Brea-Olinda 9, Magnolia 9 (8 innings, darkness)--Each team scored two runs in the sixth for the tie at Magnolia. Chad Marlow was 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs for Brea-Olinda (1-5-1, 0-0-1). Marty Neff had two hits for Magnolia.

Anaheim 5, Savanna 3--Anaheim (3-4, 1-0) scored two runs in the first inning and three in the second to open a 5-2 lead over visiting Savanna (2-4-1, 0-1). Joey Young had a two-run single in the second and scored two runs for Anaheim. Pete Gonzales (1-2) picked up his first victory.