Katella, Lorenzen Shine in Final, 7-2

With a large crowd and almost a dozen radar-gun-toting pro scouts there to see him, Katella right-hander Jon Lorenzen was pumped, and he turned in an outstanding performance.

Lorenzen held Loara to three singles, struck out 11 and gave up only one earned run to help Katella defeat the Saxons, 7-2, in the championship game of the Anaheim Lions Tournament Wednesday at Glover Stadium.

Lorenzen, a senior facing Loara for the third time this season, started off by striking out two of the first three batters. After teammate Aaron Purcha staked him to a 1-0 lead with a home run in the top of the second, Lorenzen struck out two more in the bottom half of the inning.

Lorenzen, however, was not primarily using the pitch the scouts came out to see.

“I couldn’t seem to get the fastball over the plate,” Lorenzen said. “So I went with the curveball and it was working for me.”

Lorenzen faltered slightly in the third, giving up a walk and a base hit with one out. He then struck out Ryan Gusman and an over-the-shoulder catch by center fielder Rafael Lua bailed him out of the inning.

The Knights (13-9) scored five runs in the fourth, the big hits were a run-scoring single by Chris Haller and a bases-loaded double by Lua that scored two runs.

After Loara (11-9-1) scored an unearned run in the fourth, Lorenzen really sparkled.

With a runner on third and nobody out in the fourth, Lorenzen struck out the next three batters.

He then went on to record a strikeout in each of the last three innings.

“He did a good job against a good hitting club,” Katella Coach Tim McMenamin said. “I think he’s just getting better and better.”