Eagles Fly Past No. 6 Monarchs

Four walks, two hit batters, two errors and one home run added up to eight runs on only one hit in Santa Margarita’s fourth inning to send the Eagles on their way to a 12-6 victory over Mater Dei in a Serra League baseball game Saturday at Santa Margarita High.

Santa Margarita (8-5, 3-2), ranked ninth in the county, led 2-1, but sixth-ranked Mater Dei took a 4-2 lead in the third inning when Mike Harris led off with a triple, scored on Sergio Santos’ double and Josh Hansen followed with a two-run home run to left field.

Monarchs starter Richard Mercado (4-1) struck out designated hitter Matt Rocheleau to open the fourth, but then walked the next three batters on 13 pitches. James Webster relieved and promptly hit Mike Foley in the ankle, forcing home Kevin Martin.

Ryan Campeau popped up to short for the second out, but Tim Dean walked to force home the tying run. An error by Mater Dei third baseman Andrew Castillo allowed Eric Brock to score and when Mike Beattie’s ground ball bounded off the glove of first baseman Scott Bolcoa, two more runs scored for the Eagles.

Then, batting for the second time in the inning, Rocheleau hit a three-run homer to deep center field to give Santa Margarita a 10-4 lead.

“Rocheleau had been struggling a little bit,” said Eagle assistant coach Tony VanCoutren, “but he’s been patient and working really hard to get on track.”

Mater Dei Coach Burt Call categorized the bad inning as uncharacteristic of his team, with one bad thing feeding upon another.

“We didn’t come out and pitch very well and then that inning kind of knocked the wind out of us a bit,” Call said. “Richard [Mercado] has been very solid for us all year, but he got behind hitters today and I don’t think he had the great stuff he usually has.”

Hansen also homered, his sixth of the season, in the fifth inning and finished three for four with three runs batted in for Mater Dei (9-5, 3-2), which lost to Santa Margarita by the same 12-6 score when the teams met at Mater Dei earlier this season.

Dean (4-1) pitched five innings, giving up five runs on eight hits, two walks and five strikeouts to earn the victory for Santa Margarita. Wilkerson had two hits, one RBI and two runs scored for the Eagles.