PREP BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Fountain Valley Wins, Despite Early Errors

After committing nine errors in its previous two games and three in the first two innings Saturday, Fountain Valley didn’t look like a baseball team ranked among the elite in the country.

However, the Barons showed that they can pitch and hit and they got enough of both to defeat Irvine, 8-3, in the championship game of the Loara tournament at Glover Stadium.

“I think being ranked No. 1 has taken its toll,” Fountain Valley Coach Ron La Ruffa said. “We’ve been thinking too much about it instead of just playing.”

The Barons (5-1-1) were coming off an 8-6 loss to Huntington Beach in their league opener Friday and had committed four errors that led to two unearned runs. Three days earlier, Fountain Valley gave up four unearned runs in the seventh against Long Beach Millikan and wound up tied, 5-5, when darkness intervened.

The Barons continued that trend in the first against the Vaqueros as second basemen Craig Ritter booted a grounder and Kevin Burford dropped a fly ball in left to put runners on second and third with one out.

Eathan Gragnano then hit a slow roller down the third-base line and Matt Fox chose to let the ball roll. The ball stayed fair and by the time it was picked up, a run had scored and the Vaqueros had runners on second and third. After a walk, Mike Walas hit into a double play.

Irvine (6-1) had two errors in the bottom of the first and Fountain Valley took a 2-1 lead.

Irvine then answered in the second when Joey O’Toole singled and scored on John Pham’s double. After Pham took third on a passed ball, leadoff hitter Ryan Brucker executed a squeeze play perfectly for a 3-2 lead.

After the Barons pulled even in the third on a single, a walk and a fielding error by Jared Flint, they took the lead for good in the fourth. Matt Roman singled to left and Flint booted another grounder, picked it up and threw it over the first baseman’s head.

Matt Hanoian hit a line drive into left-center, scoring Roman and Ritter for a 5-3 lead.

Chris Ponchak (3-0) pitched the first 4 2/3 innings.