Laird’s Homer in Sixth Helps La Quinta Sweep

There was a buzz before the prep baseball season began that junior catcher Gerald Laird was destined to become one of the finest players in the county.

It is still early in his La Quinta baseball career, but Laird showed Wednesday that he has the makings of being something special.

His two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning capped a four-run outburst and proved to be the decisive blow in La Quinta’s 7-6 victory over Loara in the first game of a nonleague doubleheader.

La Quinta won the second game, which was called after five innings, 13-2.

The home run was his third in six games this season. Laird did more than swing the bat, however.

He threw out two runners at second--one in the third when a batter, after singling in a Saxon run, tried to go to second on the throw home. And he did it again in the fourth when the hitter, after grounding to short, thought he could advance on the errant throw to first.

And in the seventh, with La Quinta starter Steve Lee melting in the 90-degree heat, Laird took off the catching gear and went to the mound to record his first save.

“He is a five-tool player now,” La Quinta Coach Dave Demarest said. “By his senior year he could be one of top players in the country, not just the county.”

The victories improved the ninth-ranked Aztecs to 5-2. Loara, which already has beaten top-ranked Canyon and third-ranked El Dorado, dropped to 3-5.

Laird wasn’t the only La Quinta player to sparkle in the opener. Second baseman Shaun Larkin had four hits, including his first home run, and drove in three runs. His two-run double in the sixth, which gave La Quinta a 5-4 lead, preceded Laird’s blast over the left field fence.

Taking the brunt of the Aztec attack was Loara starter Eddie Williams, who gave up all seven runs (three earned) and 13 of La Quinta’s 14 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

For the victory, Lee worked six-plus innings, giving up 11 hits and six runs (five earned). The sophomore left-hander struck out one, walked one, and hit two batters.

Having a big offensive day for the Saxons was second baseman Garrett Ware, who had three hits and three RBIs in the opener.

Loara took a 4-1 lead after four innings, but Larkin began the La Quinta comeback with a home run to right in the fifth.

In other nonleague baseball:

Kennedy 5-5, Western 4-6--Clay Adams tripled home Tim Bauer with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning for Western (2-5) in the second game.

In the first game, Kennedy scored the winning run in the top of the seventh on a passed ball.

Adams had four hits in six at-bats on the day and Ben Swanson was four for seven, including two triples, for the Pioneers.

Magnolia 6, Bolsa Grande 2--Jason Reding was two for four with two RBIs for Magnolia (4-0), which ended Bolsa Grande’s four-game winning streak. Joey Francisco had two hits for the Matadors (6-2), who turned a triple play in the third inning.

Rancho Alamitos 10, Buena Park 7--Tony Serna’s three-run homer in the sixth gave Rancho Alamitos a 10-7 lead. Serna also doubled and scored twice for the Vaqueros (3-5).