PREP BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Singelyn Takes the Cake as Loyola Defeats Servite

The cake that Servite’s baseball boosters had hoped to present to Coach Mike McNary in honor of his 100th victory Saturday was left uneaten. Loyola pitcher Todd Singelyn spoiled the party.

Singelyn, mixing a good fastball with an effective curve, pitched a three-hitter and struck out six to lead Loyola to an 8-2 victory over host Servite in Angelus League play.

About a dozen scouts watched Singelyn, who was virtually untouchable in the first two innings and finished with a flourish, strike out four of the last seven batters he faced.

Singelyn was one of three most valuable players in the league last season, when he had a 6-3 record. He has made an oral commitment to Arizona. The right-hander also showed he’s pretty good at the plate, getting two hits and scoring twice.

“He got a little lazy in the middle innings when we got the big lead, but he sure finished strong,” Loyola Coach Kelly Nicholson said.

Servite (2-7, 1-2 in league) got to Singelyn once, in the third inning when it bunched together a walk, a bunt single, an error and a double to the gap in left-center by Joey Vargas for two runs.

But Loyola (6-3, 1-2) responded with four runs in the fourth inning despite getting only two hits out of the infield. Matt Vannis and Wes Rachels bunted for base hits as Loyola executed in key situations, frustrating Servite starter Eric Ramirez (1-2) and reliever Matt Thompson.

Afterward, McNary remained confident that his team would be a contender for the league title despite its inconsistent play early in the season.

“Our talent is as good as it was last season, it’s just a matter of the players believing in themselves,” McNary said. “We need to win a game when (standout pitcher) Adam Anderson isn’t out there. We need to win a close game.”

Servite lost designated hitter Eddie Rubio to injury Thursday when he slid awkwardly into second base and broke two bones in his left ankle. Rubio underwent surgery to have two pins placed in his ankle Friday, and he will be out for the season.

In other Angelus League games:

Santa Margarita 4, St. John Bosco 3--Zac Van Dyke singled home Seaton Curran with the winning run in the sixth inning for host Santa Margarita (7-3, 3-1).

In the Orange League:

Valencia 7, Anaheim 3--Eric Ensman drove in three runs, Ryan Roskelly drove in two and Mike Mebane was three for three as the visiting Tigers improved to 7-3, 4-1.

In the Sunset League:

Ocean View 12, Marina 2--Micah Edwardson hit a grand slam in the second and Justin Brunette hit a three-run double in the first to help visiting Ocean View (8-3, 1-2) to a 10-0 lead after two innings. Ocean View pitchers Seth Bartels and Mathieu Royer allowed only five hits to Marina (1-2 in league).

In nonleague play:

Westminster 8-0, Chino 4-3--Robert Besanson and Keith Cowley each had two hits, drove in two runs and scored once as the host Lions upset the top-ranked team in Division 4-A.

Chino (10-3) limited Westminster (5-8) to four hits in the second game. The Cowboys scored three times in the sixth inning.