PREP BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Capistrano Valley Scores Early, Often

Capistrano Valley scored 14 runs in the first three innings and coasted to an 18-6 victory over San Clemente to clinch second place in the South Coast League Thursday at San Clemente High.

The Cougars (17-8, 9-6 in league) jumped on Triton pitching for eight runs in the first inning and led 14-0 after 2 1/2 innings. Capistrano Valley collected 20 hits, including five home runs, off five San Clemente pitchers.

“Usually we don’t come out of the gate like that,” Cougar Coach Bob Zamora said. “It was a weird day, but baseball can be a weird sport.”

After a walk and two errors helped the Cougars to a 1-0 lead, Capistrano Valley launched the fireworks. Ryan Gauntner’s three-run homer was outdone by Gabe Payne’s grand slam later in the inning.

Keith Carson’s two-run homer and run-scoring singles by Brian Harnetiaux and Paul Day gave the Cougars a 12-0 lead in the second. Day (3-0) pitched four innings in place of Pete Zamora, who developed a blood clot in his left leg from an injury in the game May 3 against El Toro.

Catcher Dominick Lombardi gave the Cougars a 14-0 lead with a two-run homer to left in the third. Adam Petke’s towering home run to left center capped the Cougars’ scoring in the seventh inning.

Robert Frith hit a grand slam in the sixth inning, his eighth homer of the season, for San Clemente (14-11, 7-8). Capistrano Valley’s Payne was three for five with five RBIs.