Keller Leads La Quinta Past Trabuco Hills

La Quinta catcher Willie Keller kept it simple against Trabuco Hills right-hander Todd Gelatka and his 88-mph fastball Friday night.

“I just made sure I saw it,” Keller said. “I just tried to make contact.”

Keller’s strategy worked as he drove in two runs with a pair of two-out hits and scored another to lead the Aztecs past Trabuco Hills, 4-1, in the championship game of the North Orange County baseball tournament at Champions Park in Placentia.

Keller gave La Quinta a 1-0 lead when he slapped a single to right field in the first inning. He reached on an error in the fourth and came around to score on a wild pitch to break a 1-1 tie, then lined a run-scoring double to right center in the fifth to give the Aztecs a two-run lead.

Gelatka (1-1) struck out 10 batters in the first four innings, including the side three times, but struggled with his control at times. He walked six batters before exiting with two outs in the fifth.

La Quinta right-hander Eric Seale (3-0) used off-speed pitches to limit the Mustangs to two hits in five innings. Seale struck out seven and walked one.

“I just tried to mix it up,” Seale said. “I knew it would be a challenge coming in here against [Gelatka], but I just concentrated on hitting my spots.”

Brian Cisneros moved from second base to the pitcher’s mound for the final two innings and he retired all six batters he faced, including four by strikeout.