SUNSET LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Twists, Turns Go Ocean View’s Way in 10-4 Victory

It began as a pitchers’ duel, turned into a rout in the late innings and ended with Ocean View baseball players piled on top of each other, celebrating a second consecutive Sunset League championship.

Ocean View’s 10-4 victory over host Huntington Beach Friday had enough twists and turns to keep all concerned guessing what would happen next.

The teams were scoreless through three innings and tied at 3-3 after four, and Huntington Beach led, 4-3, after five, but Ocean View put the game away with a seven-run sixth.

Ocean View (16-7, 10-2 in league) then got solid relief pitching from Randy Karliner (8-2) in the final two innings to earn a share of the championship. Fountain Valley also finished with a 10-2 league record.

“They’re some amazing kids,” Ocean View Coach Steve Barrett said. “We were 3-7 to start the year. We were thinking we’d go right into the tank, but the kids pulled out of it.”

In fact, Ocean View finished the regular season with a 10-game league winning streak.

Huntington Beach (12-13, 5-7) needed to win to qualify for the playoffs.

“It was a tough year,” Huntington Beach Coach Mike Dodd said. “We had a good ballclub.”

Friday’s game seemed to be typical of Huntington Beach’s season. It looked good early on, but ended in disappointment.

J.P. Rizzo, Huntington Beach’s starting pitcher, gave up two hits through three innings. Seth Bartels, Ocean View’s starter, also gave up two hits in the first three innings.

In the fourth, Ocean View made the first breakthrough, scoring three runs. Huntington Beach came back with three in the bottom of the fourth, then scored another in the fifth.

But in the sixth, Ocean View sent 12 batters to the plate, took advantage of four walks, got five hits and scored seven runs to crush Huntington Beach’s playoff hopes.

Depending on which coach you talked to, the big blow was either a double by designated-hitter Rich Crowe to start the inning or a three-run double by Steve Rivera that gave Ocean View an 8-4 lead.

“Crowe doubles down the line on a changeup and that opens up the flood gates,” Dodd said.

Said Barrett: “Rivera’s (double) was the big blow. It knocked the wind out of their sails. That was pretty much it right there.”

With trouble only in the fourth and fifth innings, Ocean View’s month-long plan of starting Bartels with Karliner relieving worked well enough.

“(Bartels) goes three or four innings and we bring in Karliner to close it,” Barrett said. “He’s started every game the last four weeks. We contrast Bartels’ slow stuff and then Karliner comes with the hard stuff.”

In other league games:

Santa Ana 10, Westminster 6--Nester Gonzalez had three hits, scored twice and had two RBIs, and Bill Johnson had two hits, including a bases-loaded double in the third inning, to give host Santa Ana (13-10, 5-7) a 6-3 lead.

Fountain Valley 11, Marina 1--Derek Fahs (11-3) got the victory, striking out six and allowing three hits in three innings, for visiting Fountain Valley.