PREP BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Brea Defeats Magnolia, Gains Upper Hand

The dream of an Orange League championship for Magnolia has been deferred for at least two days--or maybe a year.

Brea Olinda thwarted Magnolia’s bid for its first title in 12 years with a 4-2 victory at Brea on Wednesday. It was the Wildcats’ sixth consecutive victory and left the teams tied for the league lead at 10-4. Brea Olinda has the advantage in the tiebreaker, having won two of three meetings this season.

The Sentinels (13-7) travel to Anaheim on Friday. They must win and hope the Wildcats (15-9) fall to Valencia at home.

Brea, which has chased Magnolia all year and now has finally caught it, didn’t sound like it was interested in entering the playoffs next week as a No. 2 team.

“We have the momentum now,” said Wildcat starter Aaron Hough (8-1), who gutted out six-plus innings of five-hit pitching with a sore right elbow caused by a weightlifting mishap last week. This was his second victory of the season over Magnolia.

“Valencia is good, and they always play us tough. But we’re going to win on Friday,” Hough said.

His counterpart, Magnolia’s Josh Reding (7-2), also gave up five hits in six innings and pitched out of several difficult situations. But he made a couple of mistakes that ultimately cost the Sentinels.

The game was still scoreless in the fourth when, with two on and one out, Reding fielded Brandon Maciel’s sacrifice bunt and threw it past third base, allowing John Stoddard to score.

But the pivotal play came in fifth. The Wildcats loaded the bases for Ryan Knuth and he picked on Reding’s next mistake--a 2-2 curveball down the middle. Knuth smacked it into left-center for a three-run double that provided Hough with all the cushion he needed.

“I was expecting (the curve),” said Knuth, who has been on a run-producing tear, having driven in seven runs last Friday. “And when I saw it coming, I adjusted to it pretty good.”

Magnolia was able to scrape up single runs in the sixth and seventh, and had a chance at a big inning against Wildcat reliever Bryan Robinson in the seventh, but was unable to get that one key hit.

“We didn’t make the routine plays today,” said Magnolia Coach Manny Rodriguez, who said he had not decided who he wants to pitch on Friday. “Now we have to win on Friday and try and get some help.”

Brea Coach Steve Hiskey, who will start Steve Trombly (4-3) against Valencia, said he would enjoy Wednesday’s victory. “But not for long.”

In other Orange League games:

Anaheim 11, Savanna 4--Carlos Ramirez and Javiar Carrillo each went two for four with two runs batted in for last-place Anaheim (8-17, 4-10).

Western 5, Valencia 4--Western’s Brett Halbert struck out the last two batters to save the game for Chad Kline (1-0).

Halbert had two hits and Jeff Quadrozzi added a run-scoring double for the Pioneers (8-17, 5-9), who are tied for fourth place with Savanna.

In the Garden Grove League:

Santiago 9, Los Amigos 4--Frankie Hernandez had two RBIs, stole two bases and scored two runs for fourth-place Santiago (8-13, 5-6).

In the Golden West League:

Santa Ana 16, Saddleback 1--Jesus Rodarte had three hits and five RBIs, Carlos Esparza was three for three with five runs scored and Juan Ramirez (2-3) gave up one earned run on seven hits for Santa Ana (10-14, 5-9).

Tustin 4, Servite 3--A two-run double by Rick Gonzalez in the sixth inning tied the score and Pepe Vasquez doubled and scored the winning run on an infield error in the seventh for the sixth-ranked Tillers (19-4-1, 13-1).

Westminster 4, Ocean View 3--Ralphie Flores drove in the winning run with a sixth-inning double for Westminster (18-7, 10-4), which moved into second place. Flores was two for three.

In nonleague baseball:

Malibu Camp Kilpatrick 11, St. Margaret’s 3--Rick Burroughs had a single and a walk for St. Margaret’s (4-10).

Teammate Justin Stone, a freshman making his first high school start, gave up four hits in five innings.