PREP BASEBALL : Orange League : Anaheim Holds Off Valencia and Matches ’87 Victory Total

Anaheim High School won its fourth baseball game of the season with a 9-7 Orange League decision over Valencia Friday at Anaheim.

The manner in which Anaheim won was not particularly impressive, but that did not make the victory any less significant.

Anaheim (4-5 overall, 2-1 in league play) tied the number of games it won last season when it finished with a 4-19 record. Its second league victory also tied the total wins in 1987, when the Colonists’ went 2-13 and finished in last place in the Orange League.

Dave Torres, Anaheim’s new coach, who came from Fullerton before the season started, appears to have brought a winning spirit.

“I’m enjoying it over it here,” said Torres, who spent five seasons at Fullerton. “They (Anaheim) had a rough one last year. They have to believe they can win.

“I was concerned about our pitching, but that has been a surprise. Our goal at the beginning of the year was to improve and see what happens.”

Friday, Anaheim took advantage of every opportunity that presented itself in beating Valencia, the defending league champion.

The Colonists scored three runs in the first inning on five walks and a single. Valencia starter Robert Navarette did not make it out of the first inning; he left after his wild pitch scored Jose Gonzalez from third for the third run of the inning.

The Colonists added another run in the second, then weathered a four-run third inning by Valencia and took the lead for good, 5-4, in the bottom of the third.

Designated hitter Ryan Jara drove in catcher Robert Aldaz with a single to left to score Anaheim’s fifth run.

Anaheim chased Richard Wells, who had replaced Navarette, with a four-run fourth inning. Two hits, two walks and two errors provided the Colonists’ runs and a 9-4 lead.

Valencia (3-4-1, 1-1-1) made it close by scoring three runs in the fifth, but Pete Gonzalez, Anaheim pitcher, managed to shut out the Tigers in the final two innings.

The big blow in the fifth was a three-run opposite-field homer by Mike Edwards, the Valencia third baseman, who has signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Utah.

But it wasn’t enough to stop Gonzalez and Anaheim.

“He’s been our dude so far,” Torres said of Gonzalez, a sophomore who is 2-2. “He keeps the ball down. The only time he gets in trouble is when he walks people.”

Gonzalez walked two, struck out four and gave up seven hits.

“He got in a bind twice,” Torres said. “He ended the game with a double play.”

Edwards, who had three of Valencia’s hits, led off the seventh with a single up the middle, but Anthony Davis struck out and Keef Leasure grounded into a game-ending double play.

In the fifth, with three runs already in, Gonzalez faced runners on second and third with one out. But he struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

Jara and Jose Gonzalez had three singles each to lead Anaheim’s 10-hit attack.

Magnolia 5, Savanna 0--Tony Truel had a two-run double and Chris Walsh doubled in another run for host Magnolia. Marty Neff pitched a six hitter for the victory.

Western 9, Brea-Olinda 7--Doug McConathy had a home run, double, a single and five RBIs for visiting Western. Joe Zink and Aaron Charlton hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning to cut the lead to 9-7.