SOUTH COAST LEAGUE BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Patton Does It All for Capistrano Valley

Capistrano Valley baseball Coach Bob Zamora didn’t hesitate when predicting that Scott Patton will someday play professional baseball.

“He has pro ball written all over him,” Zamora said. “He’s 6-foot, 190 pounds and runs a 60 in 6.7. He’s got a big-league arm and hits with power. Plus, he’s got a pro attitude. He never gets too high or too low.”

Patton displayed all of those qualities Friday in Capistrano Valley’s 5-2 victory over host Irvine in a key South Coast League game.

On the mound, Patton (2-1) gave up five hits, struck out five and walked none. Both of Irvine’s runs were unearned.

At the plate, Patton had a single and a double, drove in two runs and scored a run as Capistrano Valley (9-2, 5-0 in league) remained on top of the six-team league.

“He was pure Scott Patton today on the mound,” Zamora said. “Nothing fancy, just a very efficient performance.”

Capistrano Valley gave Patton all the offensive support he needed in the fourth inning when it scored four runs. The Cougars broke a 1-1 tie when right fielder Danny Geiss hit a two-run triple to right for a 3-1 lead.

Patton drove in Geiss with a single and then scored when third baseman Brian Benner lined a double to the gap in left-center off relief pitcher Jeff Johnson.

Although Irvine (6-5, 3-1) committed four errors and left six runners on base, Coach Bob Flint was optimistic after the game.

“We’ve played very well defensively in our last seven or eight games, but we caved in a little in the middle innings today to a good team,” Flint said.

In another league game:

Mission Viejo 10, El Toro 9--Mission Viejo led 10-6 going into the bottom of seventh and El Toro rallied for three runs and had the tying run at second. Diablos’ second baseman Yas Kasayama caught a line drive to end the game.

Jeff Carr went two for two with a home run, a double and three RBIs for Mission Viejo (5-5, 1-4).