El Toro Can’t Stop Eagles’ Roll
With the first round of league play nearly over, the chant going around the Sea View League is getting louder: somebody beat Santa Margarita.
El Toro is one team expected to keep the sixth-ranked Eagles from running away with the league title. But the Chargers could not apply any brakes on Friday, losing, 5-3, at Santa Margarita.
In windy, teeth-chattering conditions, the Eagles picked up their ninth victory in 11 games. More importantly, Santa Margarita is the only undefeated team in the league at 4-0.
“That’s why today’s game was very important to us,” said El Toro Coach Tom McCaffrey, whose team is 8-4, 3-2. “Even though it’s early, if they beat Woodbridge on Monday, they will be two games up on all of us. We’re going to need some help, and then we have to get them at our place.
“But someone has to beat them, first.”
Santa Margarita will be tough to catch if the Eagles keep getting pitching like they did Friday. Starter Randy Vanderplow (4-0) gave up only one hit in five innings before weakening in the sixth and giving up three runs.
Fortunately for Vanderplow, the Eagles had given him a 4-0 lead against Eric Walsh, a sophomore who was making his first varsity start.
Randall Shelley drove in the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly in the first, and Santa Margarita scored again in the third on a bases-loaded walk to Matt Strickroth. The Eagles might have thought they put the game away in the fourth when Jeff Kuno doubled home Kris Riggs, and Nick Mosich scored on a wild pitch.
But the Chargers drew close in the sixth. Darron Ohlwiler broke up Vanderplow’s shutout with a two-run double, and Ohlwiler later scored on a fielder’s choice grounder by Blair Lucas.
With two on and two out, Eagles Coach Tip Lefebvre brought in Frank Bruno to relieve Vanderplow. The junior right-hander got designated hitter Colin Stiltz to foul out to end the and, after Santa Margarita picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, worked a scoreless seventh for the save.
“I’m glad for this win because we know that El Toro is good and they will be there at the end,” Lefebvre said.
But, as McCaffrey said, it won’t matter unless somebody in league beats Santa Margarita first.
In another Sea View League game:
Woodbridge 2, Irvine 1--Chad Okuma singled in the winning run in the fifth inning for Woodbridge (7-3, 3-1). Woodbridge’s Chad Beavers (4-1) got the victory, striking out six to give him a league-leading 49 this season.