BIG GAME / LA JOLLA VS. MISSION BAY : Defense Boosts Mission Bay : Baseball: Middle infielders Munoz and Ibarra back Spencer’s pitching in 5-2 victory over La Jolla.

Almost every ballplayer would like to grow old telling his children and grandchildren tales of the no-hitter he pitched or the grand slam he hit to help his team win a championship. After all, what kid wants to hear that his old man just played great defense?

But some baseball players at Mission Bay High are breaking that mold. They don’t mind talking about diving catches and double plays. They understand that if a City Western League championship is their destiny, defense will be the path.

“When we get the ground ball and get the good defense, that’s when it all comes together for us,” said Mission Bay pitcher Wyatt Spencer, who went the distance in a 5-2 victory Friday over La Jolla at Mission Bay. Spencer, a senior right-hander, lifted his record to 3-0. The sixth-ranked Buccaneers improved to 11-4, 1-0 in the Western League. The Vikings fell to 8-4, 0-2.

Spencer was not overpowering. He allowed seven hits, two walks and hit a batter. His counterpart, Eric Vann (3-1), yielded five hits and struck out five in 6 1/3 innings. But Vann’s defense literally dropped the ball on him, committing three errors in a four-run second inning that gave Mission Bay a 5-0 lead. In all, La Jolla had five errors. Spencer, however, got plenty of help from his friends: shortstop Jesus Munoz and second baseman J.J. Ibarra.

“The curve was working today; I felt good,” Spencer said. “But (Munoz) played some great shortstop for me, and J.J. is the best second baseman I’ve ever played with.”

A fielding lapse by Ibarra--the only Buccaneer miscue--allowed La Jolla to score two unearned runs in the fourth. But he also fielded some hard-hit balls up the middle for outs. And he atoned for the error at the plate, going two for two with a pair of walks and two runs scored as the team’s leadoff hitter.

“Errors cost us the game,” La Jolla Coach Bob Allen said. “Most of our errors haven’t been costly this season. But we’re not like Mission Bay. We don’t dive and make plays.”

Ibarra gave the Bucs a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. After he looped a single to right and took second base on a wild pitch, he stole third then stole home on a delayed double steal with a runner on first. But that’s when the kink in La Jolla’s defense started to show. Coming down the line, Ibarra hesitated, but so did Vann, who cut off the catcher’s throw to second then threw a wild relay back to the plate.

In Mission Bay’s four-run second, Munoz walked, took second on a botched pickoff attempt, then later scored on a Vann balk. Two errors later, Jason Enomoto singled home John Pelligren and Ibarra to make it 5-0.

The Vikings could have done more damage in the fourth, but Munoz, with no outs and runners at first and second base, made a diving stop of a smash by John Jennings for a force at second.

Ibarra and Munoz, both juniors, are two of four players who have transfered to Mission Bay from Morse.

“Truthfully, I came over here for baseball,” Ibarra said. “They care about you here. They teach you a lot more. It’s nice to win. We got good pitching and good defense. We’re really strong up the middle. And we get some hits here and there.”