Prep Wednesday : SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : 3-A Baseball : Green Makes Good on Second Chance to Help Tustin Upset Artesia

Tustin High School’s Shawn Green made the most of his second chance to make a winning impression. Green had a two-out RBI single in the eighth inning Tuesday to give the Tillers a 3-2 victory over top-seeded Artesia in a Southern Section 3-A playoff game at Tustin.

In the sixth, Green came up with the bases loaded and the score tied, 2-2, but bounced out to end the inning.

In the seventh, Green, a left-handed hitter, bounced a two-out single over the head of third baseman Ray Valencia to score Ryan Relph. Relph opened the inning with a single just under the grove of second baseman Ed Castillo. After two outs, Relph went to second on a wild pitch.

Erik Lagafuaina then bounced one up the middle that shortstop Marguarito Castillo misplayed for an error, leaving runners at first and third and bringing Green to the plate. Green’s winning hit came off reliever Joel Adamson (13-2). Green had also singled to left in his first two at-bats.

“I felt really comfortable with him up at the plate,” Tustin Coach Vince Brown said about Green. “He’s a better hitter when he goes that way (toward left field). In batting practice he pulls everything, but in games he seems to go the other way a lot.”

Adamson, who had pitched Artesia to a 4-3 victory in the first round Friday, was the Suburban League player of the year. He replaced starter Raul Olivas in the sixth after Tustin had tied it, 2-2, on a bases-loaded walk to pinch-hitter Mike Gaston.

Monte Jones (11-2) got the victory in relief for unseeded Tustin (20-8), which tied with Estancia for the Sea View League championship.

Artesia (23-4) scored single runs in the first and fourth and Jones took over for starter Dan Baker to open the fifth. Jones allowed a single to Adamson in the seventh but no runs in the final four innings. He had five strikeouts and Baker had sixth. Tustin plays Palmdale Friday in the quarterfinal round Friday.

In other 3-A games:

Estancia 9, Corona 7--Rob Nye hit a three-run homer with two outs to cap a five-run seventh for visiting Estancia (21-6). Mark Hartley reached on an error to lead off the seventh and Lance Ely followed with a single. After a groundout advanced the runners, Clayton Nelson hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Hartley. Corona shortstop Jason Clark then booted Gary Burrows’ ground ball, allowing Ely to score. After a walk to Paul McDaniels, Bye hit his home run. Javier Hernandez had three hits and two RBIs for Corona (15-8-1).

Laguna Hills 6, Elsinore 2--Chris Sheff homered and tripled for host Laguna Hills (24-4). Sheff homered in the first and had an RBI triple in the second. Bennett had three hits and an RBI for the Laguna Hills, which plays Kennedy in the quarterfinals Friday. Teammates Mike Helm and Jason Thompson had two hits and one RBI. Rob Milo (8-0) pitched six innings for the victory. Elsinore ends 19-9.

Kennedy 6, Canyon Country Canyon 4--Pete Montera pitched a complete game and hit a home run to help Kennedy (22-5). Steve Rath hit a solo home run and Craig Roah had two hits, scored three runs, and stole a base for Kennedy.