SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Sonora Gets Off to a Good Start to Beat San Luis Obispo : Division II: Raiders win their second baseball title by beating Northern champions, 7-2.

The hint of the coming assault was seen in the first inning when five Sonora batters hit the ball sharply, although it resulted in only one run.

The payoff came in the second, when the Raiders scored four times and went on to a 7-2 victory over San Luis Obispo in the Southern Section Division II championship baseball game Saturday at Anaheim Stadium.

It was the eighth consecutive victory for Sonora (24-4-2), which won 14 of its final 15 games. It also was the second section title for Sonora, which won in 1972.

“It was a goal, a dream,” co-Coach Pat Tellers said. “We brought everyone together in January and said that we could get it done, but it would take a lot of hard work. We knew the talent was there.”

Sonora, the Freeway League champion, had nine hits, seven by the top three hitters in the lineup. Five of the hits were doubles.

Ryan Owens, the leadoff batter, had two doubles, scored three runs and drove in two. David Haller, the No. 2 batter, added three hits, including a double, scored one run and drove in another.

Junior Rodriguez, who was drafted earlier in the week by the Milwaukee Brewers in an undisclosed round, had a double and a single and drove in a run.

“We fell into a combination like that most of the season, where we had two guys back-to-back get hot in the same game,” co-Coach John Link said. “It makes us a tough team to try and pitch around somebody on.”

The second inning started with a hard groundout, then Albert Lopez rammed a singled to right field. Ryan Jones was hit by a pitch, then made the key play of the inning at second base.

Chris Anderson grounded to short but Jones slid hard into second, causing San Luis Obispo second baseman Brian Dignan’s relay throw to first to sail into the dugout.

Lopez scored on the play and Sonora was ahead, 2-0.

Owens then doubled down the left-field line to drive in Anderson for a 3-0 lead.

“It was amazing to win,” Owens said. “We just have a team that has a lot of heart and soul. The whole thing was just amazing.”

Haller lined a single to center to drive in Owens. Rodriguez followed with a double into the left-field corner to drive in Haller and give the Raiders a 5-0 lead.

“That is our job at the top of the lineup,” Haller said. “We get on and give the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 hitters a chance to drive us in.”

Owens was second on the team in runs scored this season with 35 and Haller was third at 29. Rodriguez, a senior shortstop, led with 37.

“My job is done,” said Rodriguez who is getting some late recruiting attention from USC. “Four years ago we wanted to get something going in baseball [at Sonora] and we did.”

After the second inning, most of the fight seemed to leave San Luis Obispo (23-5), the champions of the Northern League.

Of course, junior right-hander Dan Miller helped out, pitching a six-hitter with six strikeouts to improve to 9-3.

Miller also drove in his team’s first run in the first inning. His two-out double into the left-field corner drove in Owens, who had reached base on an error. It was the first of four San Luis Obispo errors. Miller’s hit was his 44th, a Sonora single-season record.