SEA VIEW LEAGUE BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Two Estancia Errors in Eighth Give Tustin Three Runs, Victory

tin High School took advantage of two errors to score three unearned runs in the eighth inning for a 5-2 victory over Estancia in a Sea View League game Wednesday.

Tustin (9-1, 4-0) broke a 2-2 tie when Estancia second baseman Gary Burrows threw past first base Lenny Herman after having difficulty fielding a slow-rolling ground ball by Tustin’s Chad Faltz.

Burrows’ errant throw allowed pinch-runner K.C. Jackson to score the go-ahead run. Tustin added two more runs when Estancia left fielder Kirk DeLong misplayed a single by Tustin’s Brett Hardy.

Starter Greg Brannis (2-3) was the victim of Estancia’s breakdown in the eighth and continued his hard-luck season. Brannis, who pitched his way out of jams in the sixth and seventh innings, has lost two one-run games this season.

“Greg did a great job of getting out of jams, but I knew he was getting tired after the sixth inning,” Estancia assistant Paul Troxell said. “Even at 80%, he’s better than anyone else we have. It was unfortunate that a defensive breakdown cost him the game.”

Tustin left-hander Dan Baker (5-0) earned the victory, striking out 10 and allowing six hits. But despite the impressive performance, the half-dozen scouts clocking Baker’s pitches were packed up and gone after three innings.

“I think Dan is as good a pitcher as there is in the county,” Tustin Coach Vince Brown said. “But he doesn’t have the 85-mile-per-hour fastball, so he’s not being heavily recruited. He’s a 3.5 (grade-point average) student, but he can’t get a ride (scholarship) because he doesn’t throw the blazing fastball.”

Tustin leadoff hitter Shawn Green also was impressive, getting two hits and stealing a base. Brown predicted that Green, a junior, will break the county career record of 129 hits--set a year ago by Chris Sheff of Laguna Hills--sometime next season.

“He’s the best leadoff hitter around,” Brown said. “He’s had nine multiple-hit games this year and already has over 20 hits in 10 games. Shawn’s worst game was one for three against Kent Donnelly of Foothill.”

Finally, Brown said his team is looking forward to the Santa Ana Elks Tournament during spring break. Tustin will open with a chance to avenge its only loss of the year, to Foothill, then could meet the county’s top-ranked team, Ocean View, in Round 2.

“I think by the end of the year, this could be the No. 1 team in the county,” Brown said.

In other league games:

Saddleback 7, Newport Harbor 1--Harvey Perez (2-1) pitched a one-hitter for host Saddleback (7-3, 3-1). Jason Farr singled to open the seventh for Newport Harbor’s only hit. Perez, a senior right-hander, had four strikeouts and a walk.

Perez also had two hits and four RBIs. He had a two-run double in the sixth to give Saddleback a 6-0 lead. Carlos Cevallos had two hits and three RBIs for Saddleback.

University 3, Corona del Mar 2--Al Marlinga hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning for visiting University (5-5, 1-3). Mark Miller (2-1) pitched the final six innings, striking out five, for the victory.