Vigilantes Win Fifth in a Row

Mission Viejo’s Paul Anderson and Grays Harbor’s Rayon Reid both delivered the kind of solid pitching performance Tuesday that neither deserved to lose the game. And neither did.

Through seven innings, Anderson scattered seven hits, gave up two runs (one unearned) walked none and struck out seven. Reid gave up three runs and seven hits in eight innings, walking three and striking out six.

So it came down to who had the successful bullpen and the extra-inning stamina. And the Vigilantes had both, squeezing out a 4-3 victory in front of an announced crowd of 1,672 at Saddleback College in a Western Baseball League game.

Alan Burke drove in the game-winner in the bottom of the 10th, scoring Willie Mosher with a two-out single off Gull reliever Brian Martineau (5-1), who played at Rancho Santiago College. It was Mission Viejo’s only lead of the night.

The victory was the fifth straight for surging Mission Viejo, 8-6 in the second half. It also kept the Vigilantes tied with Sonoma County for first in the South Division. Grays Harbor dropped to 5-9.

“I think this team has jelled, finally,” said Burke, who had two RBIs, raising his season total to 59.

“When we came back from a tough loss against Reno last week to win the next night, it showed the character I think we have. And it was there again. These are the kind of games we have to win if we’re going to be champions again.”

Mosher, who had three hits and scored three times, agreed.

“We brought back momentum from our road trip and also a better attitude,” he said. “You can see it now. We’re beginning to get the feeling of last year, when we knew we were going to win no matter if we got behind.

Until Burke’s heroics, it appeared as if the Vigilantes’ biggest moment would be in the bottom of the seventh when Vigilante pitcher John Homan proposed to his girlfriend, Stacey Lovo, a physical therapist in La Palma, on bended knee from the mound. (She said yes.)

Grays Harbor grabbed a quick 2-0 lead in the second. Mark Kingston led off with his fifth home run, and Randy Warner followed with a pop fly single to left. Tim McDonnell slapped a potential double-play grounder to Bret Barberie at second, but Barberie had the ball go through his legs for an error, putting runners at first and third.

The next Gulls’ batter, Steve Deitz, bounced into a double play but Warner scored.

Mosher got a run back in the third when he drove his second home run this season past the center-field fence.

And Mission Viejo got even in the fifth. Carl Nichols led off with a double, and moved to third on Chris Briones’ fly to right. Mike Moutrey was unable to bunt Nichols home, but the burly catcher chugged across the plate on a Reid wild pitch.

Aaron Magdaleno (2-1) pitched a scoreless 10th inning for Mission Viejo to get the victory.