Saddleback Manages to Outlast Rancho Santiago

Travares Comeaux’s run-scoring single in the ninth gave Saddleback an 8-7 victory over Rancho Santiago in a mistake-filled Orange Empire Conference baseball game Saturday.

Rancho Santiago scored three runs in the eighth inning to take a 7-5 lead, but Saddleback scored an unearned run in the eighth on an error and a run-scoring double to the fence in right by Danny Rivas.

The ninth-inning rally started when reliever Tony Zuniga’s second pitch hit Jon Lauderdale. Lauderdale hit his sixth home run to open the fourth, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.

Lauderdale reached second on a passed ball and scored when Paul Day lined a single to left. Day had singled in a run in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to 14 games.

Day reached third when Zuniga picked up Dom Lombardi’s sacrifice bunt and tried to get Day at second but instead threw the ball into right-center field. It was the Dons’ third error of the game.

Comeaux then lined a pitch to right to win the game. Aaron Sepulveda (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth to get the victory.

Rancho Santiago (20-7, 8-5) had beaten Saddleback, 24-6, the first time the teams played this season.

“We got whacked by them the first time,” Saddleback Coach Jack Hodges said. “Our goal was to come back and show we can play good ball.”

Well, the Gauchos (16-8-1, 7-6) didn’t play that well. They made five errors but the mistakes led to only two unearned runs.

Rancho Santiago’s Josh Reding, who is playing shortstop in place of Zuniga who has a sore hand after being hit by a pitch Tuesday, had three hits and drove in a run.

The teams play in spring break tournaments this week and conference play starts again April 9.