UPPER DECK BASEBALL TOURNAMENT : Mater Dei Finally Wises Up, Tops El Capitan

Mater Dei was mesmerized early by Lakeside El Capitan pitcher Matt LaChappa’s pickoff move and some Vaquero offensive trickery on the basepaths.

But the Monarchs shook off the rocky start and rallied for a 6-5 victory Monday afternoon in a first-round game of the Upper Deck Tournament at Mater Dei.

The Vaqueros (7-4), who were rated No. 11 in the USA Today national preseason poll, took advantage of the entranced Monarchs to build a 4-0 lead before Mater Dei pitcher Mike McDonald (5-0) settled down and the Monarch bats came to life.

Mater Dei (11-1) meets Simi Valley at 3 p.m. today at Fullerton College.

Monarch designated hitter Chris Woody supplied the winning hit in the fifth inning with a line-drive double slicing down the right field line, scoring Brian Hurlburt and McDonald with the tying and go-ahead runs from first and second.

“McDonald hung in there and did his job,” Monarch Coach Bob Ickes said. “He kept us in it.”

After LaChappa, a left-hander, picked off two Monarch baserunners in the first inning, the Vaqueros exploited McDonald’s second-inning control problems, added a pair of infield hits and some opportunistic baserunning to extend their lead to 4-0.

With runners on first and third, Monarch catcher Matt Treanor overthrew second base on an attempted steal, allowing Mike Henderson to score.

El Capitan’s Benjamin Kindreich beat out an infield grounder, but was caught off first by McDonald’s pickoff. Monarch first baseman Cliff Carver tried to run him down, but Kindreich beat the tag to second base while Mike Lennon scored from third.

Vaquero third baseman Jason Phillips singled Kindreich to third, but while Phillips was caught between first and second in another pickoff, Kindreich scored the third run, beating Carver’s throw to the plate.

Mater Dei right fielder Eric Mattern ignited the Monarchs with a leadoff double in the third. Jeff Frankel drove him in with a single to right. A run-scoring sacrifice fly by Hurlburt drove in Ed Marquez, who had been hit by a pitch. A line-drive single by Toby Sanchez off LaChappa’s ankle drove in Hurlburt and closed the deficit to 4-3.

Mattern tied the score with a home run--his third of the season--in the fifth inning, but El Capitan took a 5-4 lead in the top of the fifth, when Sam Carlino doubled and scored on Josh Paulino’s single to center.