UPPER DECK TOURNAMENT : Germantown Knocks Fountain Valley Off Its National Ranking

Fountain Valley is No. 1 in the nation no longer.

Germantown (Tenn.) took advantage of five errors and two wild pitches, and went on to a stunning 10-6 victory over the Barons in the Upper Deck Tournament semifinals at Cal State Fullerton.

The victory moved Germantown into tonight’s title game against Mater Dei--which belted Edison (N.J.) 14-2 in the first game--and raised its record to 18-0. That should move them up from 10th in USA Today’s national poll. The top-ranked Barons will slide after falling to 13-2-1.

“It is a great thing to beat the No. 1 team in the nation,” Germantown Coach Phil Clark said. “I’m proud that we could compete with Fountain Valley. But we’re No. 1 in our state, and I have seen a lot of teams play their best against us.

“Fountain Valley was No. 1 at the start of the year and were still No. 1 in mid-April. That’s says a lot because you’re going to lose some games in baseball.”

Perhaps, but Fountain Valley Coach Ron La Ruffa did not want his team to go out this way.

“There were three to four plays that turned the game completely around,” La Ruffa said. “We don’t touch first base with two out and three runs come in. We don’t get a couple of calls in the second and three score. That’s six right there.

“When you score six runs against a pitcher like they have you should win. But they are a ranked, quality program. It felt good to be No. 1, now we’ll have to play hard to earn it back.”

Germantown starter Jay Hood (5-0)--who signed with Georgia Tech as a shortstop--staggered to the finish, giving up 12 hits. He also had three hits and scored three times. Catcher Jeff Klein drove in four runs on two hits.

The Barons’ top starter Luke Hudson (5-1) could not get past the third inning, giving up five hits and six runs.

Fountain Valley had not given up a run in the tournament, but in the second inning the Red Devils scored twice without a hit, scored four in the third and three in the fourth.

Fountain Valley scored three runs in the fifth--an RBI double by Ponchak and a two-run single by Dan Keller--and three in the sixth.

In the other semifinal:

Mater Dei 14, Edison (N.J.) 2--Mater Dei (13-2) slugged its way into the championship game at 7 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton; nine of the 11 Monarch hits were for extra bases.

Second baseman Mike Hessman drove in five runs--giving him 30 runs batted in this season--with his eighth and ninth home runs and two sacrifice flies. Third baseman Mike Waugh doubled, tripled, homered and scored three times.

Jason Saenz gave the exhausted Mater Dei pitching staff a much needed day off, going the distance and pitching a six-hitter. Nonetheless Coach Bob Ickes, who admitted he had no idea who would pitch in the championship game, fretted that he had overworked Saenz, a senior left-hander.

“He threw about 140 pitches and that’s way too many,” Ickes said.

No matter, the Monarch hitters eliminated any suspense.

Eleven batted in the bottom of the first, and seven scored.