Orange Pitcher Gets Revenge With the Bat

When things are not going well on the pitcher’s mound for Orange High School’s Ruben Hernandez, Coach Ed Howard still likes having his bat in the lineup.

Unable to hold a 5-0 lead against Montclair in Friday’s Southern Section 3-A quarterfinals, Hernandez was replaced in the fifth inning by John Martinolich and relegated to left field.

But Hernandez made up for his pitching problems, delivering the game-winning hit--a two-run double in the sixth inning--to lead the Panthers to a 9-7 victory.

Hernandez, who also had a run-scoring double in the first inning, helped Orange (18-10) advance to the semifinals for the first time in 40 years. The school won its only baseball championship in 1914, the first year the playoffs were held.

“Hernandez has been on fire,” Howard said. “He’s been doing a super, super job. He just didn’t have his timing and mechanics down on the mound today.”

In the sixth, Montclair’s Pete Rivera doubled in a run to tie the game, 6-6. He took third on a wild pitch and scored the go-ahead run when Mike Schaffren beat out a slow roller to third baseman Chris Thompson.

Howard protested the call at first and was ejected.

Orange right-fielder Rich Prater then made a diving catch of Andy Baker’s drive to end the threat.

Orange responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a lead it never relinquished.

After leadoff hitter Greg Folsom was hit by a pitch and Jason Smith singled, Montclair Coach Tom McFadden brought in left-hander Shane Smith from center field to pitch to the left-handed Prater, who hit a sacrifice fly to right. Hernandez, a right-hander, then doubled to right-center for the tying and winning runs.

Hernandez scored when Romo’s high pop fly was lost in the sun in left-center. Martinolich (9-0) then retired the side in the seventh to eliminate Montclair (16-8-1).

“Martinolich has been doing a great job all year,” Howard said. “This is not the first time we’ve come from behind. This is such a close knit unit here. The kids would rather die than let each other down.”