Brea Shows No Mercy Against Valencia, 14-1
Was that really the eighth-ranked Valencia Tigers playing Brea Olinda on Tuesday with a chance to wrap up the Orange League title? Or was it the Bad News Bears?
Valencia, looking like anything but a league champion, surrendered 13 hits and made three costly errors in a 14-1, 4 1/2-inning mercy-rule loss to the host Wildcats.
“We’re going to have to forget about this,” Tiger Coach Mike Scheetz said. “We didn’t show up today. It was pretty bad.”
It was worse than bad. The Tigers (17-7, 10-4) did so little damage to Brea starting pitcher Mike Davern that the Wildcat ace will start Thursday’s rematch in Placentia, which will decide the league winner.
Davern, who gave up one hit and an unearned run in four innings to improve to 7-1, could pitch six innings Thursday for Brea (15-10, 10-4), giving him the maximum 10 innings for the week that Southern Section rules allow.
It won’t be a one-sided matchup, though. Hector Ambriz, a dominant pitcher with a 9-1 record, will take the mound opposite Davern. When the pitchers faced off earlier this season, Ambriz and the Tigers recorded a 4-3 victory.
“He’s going to keep them in the game,” Brea Coach Steve Hiskey said of Ambriz. “Even if he’s not on his ‘A’ game, he’s going to be tough because he’s such a competitor.”
Valencia starter Matt Reese had no such luck Tuesday. After facing the minimum number of batters in the first inning, Reese (6-4) was shelled for five runs in the second as the Wildcats batted around.
The key to the big inning came when Brea’s Mike Maynard laid down a bunt in an attempt to move runners from first base and second into scoring position. Reese fielded the ball cleanly but threw wide of third baseman Ambriz, allowing Erik Staack and Kevin Schreck to score.
