Orange County Sports / Prep Baseball : South Coast League : Capistrano Valley Stops Irvine Rally Short, 3-2

Brian Walker struck out 11 and allowed 5 hits Friday as Capistrano Valley High School scored a 3-2 South Coast League victory at Irvine.

Walker (3-3) held off an Irvine rally with the help of Matt Spence’s seventh-inning home run. It was Walker’s third straight victory.

“He blew us out with his fastball and hammered his curveball over the plate on us,” Irvine Coach Bob Flint said. “Our guys competed well, but when you put a good pitcher out on the mound like they did today, you’re going to shut down a good offensive machine like we have.”

Said Bob Zamora, Capistrano Valley coach: “This is the fifth game in which he’s pitched well. In two of his losses, we didn’t play well defensively behind him. In only one of his losses did he really have a poor outing. Today, he threw the ball well and we got some timely hits behind him to get the win.”

Capistrano Valley (8-9, 4-3) gained a 1-0 lead in the first inning on back-to-back doubles by Billy Bardens and Dave Guillen.

The Cougars made it 2-0 in the second inning when David Rawson led off with a walk, went to second on Spence’s single and went to third on a wild pitch by Irvine starter John Bretza (5-2). Rawson scored on Jim Kemper’s sacrifice fly.

Irvine (13-4, 6-1) narrowed Capistrano Valley’s lead to 2-1 on a two-out run-scoring single by George Koutures in the second.

Bretza, who allowed eight hits and struck out three in 6 innings, was replaced by reliever David Goldstein in the seventh after Spence’s homer, which gave Capistrano Valley a 3-1 lead.

Irvine rallied in the seventh when pinch-hitter Eric Degan slammed a double off the fence in left-center. Degan then stole third and scored when Cougar catcher Brad Hayward threw the ball into left field for an error.

Walker ended the game by getting Koutures and Martin Bringas to fly out.

In other South Coast League games:

El Toro 1, Mission Viejo 0--Don Goodbrand threw a one-hitter to lead El Toro (9-9, 4-3) at El Toro. Goodbrand (4-0) struck out four, walked one and hit three batters. The only hit he allowed was a seventh-inning single by Scott Parrott. The score was tied, 0-0, going into the bottom of the seventh when El Toro loaded the bases with no out. Brian McNamara then hit a ground ball to third, and Adam Brass, who had led off the inning with a single, beat the throw to the plate. Chris Bodger took the loss for Mission Viejo (11-5, 2-5).

San Clemente 4, Dana Hills 0--Brent Ferguson threw a two-hitter, his third this season, and struck out four, for host San Clemente (6-10, 2-5). Mark Broccardo went 2 for 3 with a solo home run and Harley Brooks was 2 for 3 with 4 stolen bases for San Clemente. Dana Hills is 9-9, 3-4.