Baseball : Los Alamitos Defeats Top-Ranked El Dorado

A semblance of order finally returned to the rivalry between El Dorado and Los Alamitos high schools in the race for the Empire League baseball title.

After playing two games that were decided by balks and combining for 41 runs, both teams received excellent pitching performances as Los Alamitos’ Winnie Wolf defeated El Dorado’s Kevin Schula in the Griffins’ 2-0 victory Tuesday in Placentia.

Los Alamitos’ win was its second of the season over El Dorado, Orange County’s top-ranked team, and left Los Alamitos, El Dorado and Esperanza tied for first place in the league.

Catcher Greg Pirkl broke a scoreless tie with his seventh home run of the season in the seventh inning, and the Griffins (16-4, 7-2) added an insurance run on an RBI double by second baseman Tony Muser.

El Dorado (16-3, 7-2) managed only three hits off Wolf (7-1) and blew a good scoring opportunity in the fifth inning when it loaded the bases with only one out.

Wolf (7-1) walked the bases loaded in the inning, but escaped by striking out Chris Facione and Eddie Keller to end the inning.

Schula (4-1) retired the first 11 batters and had a no-hitter with one out in the fifth inning before Nick Beljajev singled to left.

In the Century League:

Santa Ana 10, Canyon 9 (8 innings)--Host Santa Ana (11-9, 6-4) rallied from a 7-0 deficit, tying the score in the seventh inning on Brian Corbin’s two-run pinch-single. Bob Riemers (6-3) got the win, pitching a hitless eighth inning, and also scored the winning run when Jason Harned singled him home in the bottom of the eighth.

Villa Park 13, El Modena 1--Villa Park (10-11, 4-6) scored four runs in the second inning and four more in the third at El Modena.

Foothill 24, Santa Ana Valley 0--Kent Donnelly threw a no-hitter to lead host Foothill (12-8, 7-3). Donnelly (3-2) stuck out 13 and walked 4. Paul Thorton had three hits and four RBIs and Ashby Jones had three hits and three RBIs, as Foothill had 23 hits. Santa Ana Valley is 3-15, 2-8.

In the Orange League:

Magnolia 10, Savanna 5--Marty Neff had a two-run homer and Mike Beery had a three-run double for host Magnolia (6-11-1, 4-4-1).

In the Pacific Coast League:

Trabuco Hills 6, Laguna Beach 4--Larry Holm had 2 hits and 2 RBIs for host Trabuco Hills (8-8, 5-5). Laguna Beach led, 2-1, going into the third inning, but Trabuco Hills scored three runs, two on a single by Troy Bland. Laguna Beach is 4-13, 2-6.

Laguna Hills 8, Costa Mesa 0--Mike Smedes (5-2) threw a three-hitter for host Laguna Hills (11-8, 8-2). Jason Thompson went 3 for 4 with a home run and 4 RBIs.

Orange 6, Woodbridge 4--Winning pitcher Brian Smith (7-2) relieved in the second inning and pitched Orange (12-8, 8-2) out of a bases-loaded one-out jam, at Woodbridge.

In the South Coast League:

Dana Hills 7, Capistrano Valley 6--Winning pitcher Darren Deffenbaugh (4-0) relieved in the fourth inning and gave up a grand slam to David Guillen to tie the score for host Capistrano Valley (8-11, 4-5). But Deffenbaugh settled down and gave up just one other hit. Dana Hills (11-9, 5-4) won the game on two solo home runs, one by Lance Marks and the other by Todd Rochford.

In the Sunset League:

Fountain Valley 8, Marina 7--Pitcher Jeff Hale got the win for host Fountain Valley (11-9, 6-4) with three hitless innings of relief. Fountain Valley’s Tom Medoza hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, his second of the game, and John Dalpoggetto--who hit a two-run home run in the first--knocked in the winning run with a seventh-inning single.

Huntington Beach 5, Edison 3 (10 innings)--Gerad Cawhorn and Dominic Alvarez each drove in runs in the top of the 10th for Huntington Beach (14-6, 5-5). Ken Pope (2-1) pitched three innings in relief for the victory.

In the Olympic League:

Orange Lutheran 4, Ontario Christian 1--Winning pitcher Ward Lookabaugh went the distance for Orange Lutheran (15-7, 5-3), at Ontario. Rich Gress had a two-run single in the third and Matt Wilson had two RBIs on a seventh-inning double.

Valley Christian 7, Capistrano Valley Christian 1--Bret Biegert scored the only won for host Capistrano Valley Christian (6-10, 1-6). Valley Christian is now 12-4, 5-2.

In nonleague:

Leffingwell 6, Claremont 3--Matt Potter had 2 hits and 2 RBIs for host Leffingwell (13-3-1). Mike Day went 3 for 3 with 3 stolen bases for Claremont (5-4).