UPPER DECK TOURNAMENT : Esperanza Suffers With Its Pitching

Esperanza has often looked to the Upper Deck tournament as a way to boost its baseball fortunes.

Not Tuesday.

The Aztecs’ ride took another downward turn Tuesday, when they dropped a 9-5 quarterfinal decision to Edison (N.J.) at Cal State Fullerton. Edison will play Mater Dei at 3:30 p.m. today in a semifinal game at Titan Field.

Aztec reliever Anthony Colacion’s wild pitch allowed Ed Sirico to score the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth with two out. Anthony Napolitano--who began the night as Edison’s starting pitcher but later moved to first--applied the crusher, a bases-clearing double over the head of center fielder Bryan Kaylor.

Jeff Feldman, a sophomore making his first varsity appearance in relief of Napolitano, earned the victory.

In 1993, despite getting knocked early into the consolation bracket, the Aztecs scored 20 runs in their final game, and then won their last 16 in a row, including the Southern Section Division V title.

Last year Esperanza looked to be an also-ran, but got on a roll after the tournament and went all the way to the Division I playoffs.

So it’s no wonder Coach Mike Curran is hoping to catch lightning in a bottle again this year. Even with Monday’s 16-3 romp against Bronx (N.Y.) Fordham Prep, the Aztecs have been struggling at 7-6-1 overall.

“We’ve been a roller coaster team all year--win one, lose one,” Curran said. “When we do well, we’ve gotten good pitching. But we’ve given up way too many walks this season, and had our defense break down at times.”

Esperanza gave starter Ryan Johnson a 2-0 lead in the first on Kaylor’s two-run single, but the Eagles came back with five in their first at-bat as the first six batters reached base on five hits and a walk. Chris Larrondo’s two-run triple was the highlight, breaking a 2-2 tie.

When Johnson walked Brian Chaloka to start the second, Curran inserted Colacion.

In Edison, the Aztecs were facing the top team in New Jersey. The Eagles were 4-0 coming into Tuesday’s game.

“You do feel a bit rushed for this tournament,” said Coach Jim Muldowney. But Muldowney can also point to a program that is experienced. “We have only six seniors, but even our sophomores are tournament-tested,” Muldowney said.

Napolitano held off Esperanza until the fourth, when the Aztecs scored three runs. Chris Stretch stole home to tie the score.

But Stretch also was cut down at the plate on an attempted double steal in the top of the sixth--a play Muldowney considered a turning point.

In other quarterfinal games:

Fountain Valley 8, Horizon (Ariz.) 0--Senior Joe Rozek went two for three with two RBIs and teammate Dan Keller had two doubles for No. 1 Fountain Valley. Pitcher Chris Ponchak got his fifth victory for the Barons, who will meet Germantown (Tenn.) in a semifinal game at 7 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton.

Mater Dei 12, Sapulpa (Okla.) 0--Center fielder Ed Marquez was four for four, including a double and a triple, with an RBI. Pitcher Mike Kolbach had nine strikeouts and two walks while allowing only one hit. Mater Dei is 12-2.

In a consolation games:

El Dorado 9, Mamaroneck (N.Y.) 0--Jerry Miller (2-1) pitched a complete game, scattering three hits for the second-ranked Golden Hawks. At the plate, Miller, Matt Swan and Jim Cox each had two doubles and one RBI for El Dorado (13-3).