Tritons Power Past Cougars

Capistrano Valley began defense of its South Coast League baseball title Friday, but when the day was over, San Clemente had emerged as a legitimate contender.

The Tritons (6-0, 1-0), ranked second in Orange County, defeated the No. 6 Cougars, 5-2, in Mission Viejo.

Steve Schroer (3-0) pitched a four-hitter and struck out 13, including four of the last seven batters he faced. Center fielder Ryan King homered twice, driving in four runs, and Todd Greco and Nate Moser added two hits each.

“I felt pretty good today,” Schroer said. “I had good pop in my fastball and that helped set up the breaking ball. The defense was awesome; that’s great for a pitcher.”

Capistrano Valley (5-2, 0-1), the Southern Section Division I champion last season, started fast when shortstop Adam Sorgi drove Schroer’s first pitch of the game into right-center for a triple, then came home on a fielder’s choice by Justin Demere.

But King wiped out the 1-0 deficit with one swing in the second. Billy Pinney walked to lead off and Moser singled, bringing up King, who hit starter Brennan Jackson’s (0-2) fastball over the right-field fence.

“Seeing the ball and hitting it is all,” said King, who hit his third homer of the season in the fourth. “It’s a matter of focus. I was more focused today, playing Capistrano Valley, the league champs and CIF champs.”

Sorgi hit his third homer of the season to open the sixth, but Schroer induced Demere to ground out, then struck out the next two hitters. He struck out the first two batters in the seventh, gave up an infield hit and got Sean Gonzalez to ground out to end the game.

“They made all the plays and [Schroer] is a quality pitcher,” Cougar Coach Bob Zamora said. “Our hitters were a little impatient and he made the most of it.”