SANTA ANA EASTER TOURNAMENT : Diamond Bar Beats Diablos in Title Game

Mission Viejo Coach Jeff Cecil said his team ran into a buzz saw Wednesday.

He was right, and his ballclub was barely left standing.

The Diablos’ run through the 31st Santa Ana Easter baseball tournament came to an abrupt end as Diamond Bar cruised to an 8-2 victory in the championship game at Rancho Santiago College.

“Those guys were impressive,” Cecil said of the Brahmas, who won the tournament for the fourth consecutive year. “They hit the ball extremely well and took it to us early.”

Diamond Bar (10-7) pounded Diablo pitchers Tyler Neuhausen (0-1) and Dave Berlin for 14 hits. The Brahmas had four players hit triples and another doubled as they won their seventh consecutive game and stopped Mission Viejo’s winning streak at four.

Designated hitter Brian Sepulveda’s double pulled the Diablos (6-8-1) to within 2-1 after one inning, but Diamond Bar scored four runs in the second for a 6-1 lead.

Diamond Bar opened the inning with four consecutive singles, the last a two-run hit by Spencer Oborn. Franco Ferrara drove in two more runs with a triple.

The Brahmas added runs in the third and seventh innings; Mission Viejo scored one in the seventh.

After giving up first-inning singles to Corrie Willkie and Neuhausen and Sepulveda’s double, starter Mike Lopez (3-3) and reliever Matt Carrera held the Diablos hitless the rest of the way.

“This wasn’t exactly the way we wanted to end the tournament,” said Cecil, whose team defeated Saddleback, Orange and Garden Grove to reach the final. “But this was a real positive experience for us. We got some wins and gained some confidence.”

Mission Viejo returns to South Coast League play next Wednesday at Trabuco Hills.

In the third-place game:

Garden Grove 6, Santa Ana 5 (13)--Greg Pines singled home Adam Bass in the bottom of the 13th inning for Garden Grove (8-8). Bass had reached base on a double. Pines was three for four with a double and a triple.

In other tournament games:

George Marshall (Va.) 6, Foothill 4--Josh Cilman was three for three with one RBI and two runs scored for George Marshall in the consolation final. Ryan Zeber went three for four with an RBI and scored a run for Foothill (6-9-1).

Brea Olinda 8, Santiago 5--Todd Deck was three for four with two doubles and two RBIs for Brea Olinda (8-8).

Pacifica 9, Orange 8 (8)--Pacifica came back from 4-0, 5-1 and 8-7 deficits. Jon Fenoglio went two for three with a two-run triple and Alex Murray was two for three for the Mariners (9-8).