Irvine Baseball Tournament : Woodbridge, Tustin to Play in Final

Justin Fisher sparked a four-run seventh inning with a bases-loaded triple to lead Woodbridge High School to an 8-4 victory over defending champion Irvine in the winners’ bracket of the Irvine summer tournament Saturday at UC Irvine.

Fisher’s hit, which broke a 4-4 tie, gives Kirk Harris a chance to end his two-year tenure as Warrior coach on a title-winning note today in the 2 p.m. championship game against Tustin. The Tillers beat Irvine, 6-1, later Saturday in the losers’ bracket of the double-elimination tournament.

Harris, who compiled a 23-26 record as Woodbridge coach, resigned from the position last week so he could spend more time with his family.

“I’d like to go out a winner,” he said. “We had six practices before this tournament, and the kids really worked as though they wanted to win.”

Harris, who will stay on as football defensive coordinator at Woodbridge, saw his team take a 4-3 lead in the top of the sixth before the Vaqueros tied the score in the bottom of the inning.

Tim Kingsbury lead off the Warrior seventh with a single off Irvine reliever Tony Nikolenko.

After Marc Howard sacrificed Kingsbury to second, Irvine Coach Bob Flint replaced losing pitcher Nikolenko with Kevin Obergfell. Dave Smith reached first on Irvine shortstop Terry Rahmatulla’s throwing error, and Kingsbury took third.

After Obergfell’s wild pitch advanced pinch-runner Chad Seaborn to second, the Irvine reliever intentionally walked Randy Ramos to load the bases.

Fisher then lined the ball past left fielder Charlie Preston to clear the bases. John Stevenson, who came on in relief of Obergfell, balked home Fisher to close out the scoring.

Peyton Cook pitched a six-hitter for Woodbridge.

Tustin, which started its day by eliminating University in the losers’ bracket, 19-0, scored four runs in the first inning en route to its victory over the Vaqueros, who had defeated the Tillers three times in summer play before Saturday.

Ryan Relph doubled home one run, and Dave Sagan and Erik Grove each singled to drive in runs in the first for Tustin.

Grove combined with Mike Gaston, Bill Courtney and Monte Jones to limit Irvine to eight hits. Grove, who pitched the first four innings, picked up the win.

In the Tillers’ victory over University, Relph had three hits and four RBIs and Grove and Mike Snaadt had two hits and three RBIs to pace Tustin’s 17-hit attack.

Tustin starter Erik Lagafuina, who pitched the first five innings, gave up four hits and two walks in picking up the victory.

Should the Tillers defeat Woodbridge in today’s 2 p.m. game, the teams will meet again at 5 p.m. for the title.