Oilers out in front

The first round of the Sunset League baseball season has come to an end for local teams and through five games, Huntington Beach High leads the league pack.

The Oilers have rebounded from a league-opening defeat at Marina March 18 by winning their last four league outings. In a three-game road swing over a four-day period last week, they won 4-2 April 6 at Los Alamitos, 5-1 Friday at Fountain Valley, and 3-1 Saturday at Edison.

Those victories put Huntington, ranked third in CIF Southern Section Division 1, at 4-1 in league and 14-5 overall heading into the start of the second round of league play Wednesday.

“We have played four games a week for three-straight weeks, 12 games in 18 days including traveling to North Carolina [for the National High School Invitational, won by the Oilers last month],” Huntington Coach Benji Medure said. “I knew that this part of the schedule was going to be a grind. I am proud of how we came together in this stretch.”

Huntington’s most recent stretch run began April 6 at Los Alamitos. Junior left-hander Nick Pratto, a transfer from Mater Dei who had to sit out the first month of the season, won in his pitching debut. In a complete-game performance, Pratto allowed four hits and two runs with three strikeouts in a 4-2 victory.

Junior Hagen Danner delivered a two-run home run to center field in the top of the first to give the Oilers an early lead, and Dominic Abbadessa hit an RBI triple in the fourth inning.

Huntington came back Friday to win, 5-1, at Fountain Valley. Pratto hit a three-run home run and Danner (2-2) threw a complete game (four hits, one run, five strikeouts).

For Fountain Valley, Conrad Villafuerte went two for three and Trevor Staffieri had a hit and RBI. The Barons fell to 2-3 in league and 11-6 overall.

“We played with a lot of effort,” Fountain Valley Coach Deric Yanagisawa said of his team’s performance against Huntington. “There was a lot of energy and our players played hard. [Hagen] Danner was very good and was able to throw three pitches for strikes. He doesn’t give you a lot of opportunities to score runs and when he did, we didn’t capitalize. I’m proud of my team for the way they played.”

One day after its win at Fountain Valley, Huntington turned back host Edison Saturday, 3-1. The game, originally to be the home opener for Huntington, was switched to Edison.

Back-to-back doubles by Landon Silver and Danner led to a two-run second-inning for the Oilers who later added an insurance run on another RBI double by Danner. Chad Minato doubled and scored once for the Oilers.

Sophomore left-hander Nate Madole (3-0) recorded the win, allowing one hit and one run with three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Senior right-hander Mitchell Kovary didn’t allow a hit or walk in 2 2/3 innings and took the save.

Edison had taken a 1-0 lead in the first on a lead-off home run by freshman Ted Burton.

The Chargers slipped to 2-3 in league and 6-12-1 overall.

“Our struggle of not capitalizing with runners on [base] continued,” Edison Coach Cameron Chinn said.

Prior to taking on Huntington, Fountain Valley took a 5-1 win from rival Edison April 6. Villafuerte went two for three with a double and drove in three runs and Trent Sievers hit a solo home run. Junior right-hander Travis Burleson (two hits, two walks, three strikeouts) tossed a complete-game two-hitter in running his record to 5-1, and also doubled twice.

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•Marina is 3-2 through the first round of Sunset League play. All three victories came via the shutout, the latest a 5-0 home win Friday over Los Alamitos.

With two out and nobody on base in the bottom of the fifth, the Vikings’ Will Pingle had a 12-pitch at-bat and proceeded to single which ignited a four-run inning. The Vikings took a 5-0 lead into the sixth.

Joe Waked went two for three with a double and drove in Marina’s first run in the fourth, and Griffin Hennessey doubled twice.

Senior right-hander Riley Ohl (3-3) has been dominant on the mound for Marina. He owns all three of the Vikings’ shutouts in league play, having previously shut down Huntington Beach (4-0) and Fountain Valley (3-0) last month. Against the Griffins Friday, he allowed three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in seven innings.

In his three Sunset shutout victories, Ohl has given up only eight hits and has struck out 24.

Los Alamitos (2-2 league) had loaded the bases with nobody out early in the game but Marina freshman first baseman Cory Lewis snagged a line-drive and doubled up the base runner at first to take the wind out of the Griffins’ scoring threat.

The Vikings improved to 11-6 overall with their sixth consecutive victory.

“Riley has been lights-out his past four starts,” Marina Coach Bob Marshall said. “He is the real deal and has matured into a team leader and probably one of the best pitchers at the moment in all of Orange County. Griffin Hennessey had two doubles and two hits and Joseph Waked had one double and had two hits for us, as well.”

Sunset League teams were in action Wednesday but scores weren’t available at press time. At 3:15 p.m. Friday, Huntington plays its home opener against Marina, Edison hosts Los Alamitos, and Fountain Valley travels to Newport Harbor.

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•Ocean View finished the first of three rounds of its 15-game Golden West League schedule undefeated, as the Seahawks went to 5-0 Friday by overpowering visiting Orange, 9-1. Senior right-hander Brandon Nicholson allowed only two hits and one run with five strikeouts in six innings for the win.

The Seahawks went to Lakewood Saturday for a nonleague game and lost to the Lancers, 10-1. They fell to 6-7 overall.

“We have done an amazing job in league,” Ocean View Coach Tanner VanMaanen said. “The kids are coming prepared to compete every day.”

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•Brethren Christian launched its Academy League schedule last week and lost twice to Sage Hill.

In the first meeting between the teams April 5, BC lost, 8-0. In their following game April 7, the Warriors again were shutout by the Lightning, 5-0.

Sage Hill is the top-ranked team in CIF-SS Division 6.

BC travels next Tuesday for a 3 p.m. league game at Downey Calvary Chapel.

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CIF Weekly Rankings (released Monday)

Division 1: Huntington Beach, No. 3.