Baseball: Estancia almost pulls off the upset

Joseph Boo

IRVINE - In its last game of the year, Estancia High’s baseball

team almost pulled off the season’s biggest upset. The Eagles led host

University, 6-4, heading into the fifth inning. But the Trojans, ranked

No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Division II, had a walk-off 7-6 victory

in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s Pacific Coast League matchup.

The Eagles (9-14, 2-10 in league) put four runs on the board in the

fourth to take a 6-3 lead against the undefeated PCL champs.

With the bases loaded, Casey Gates was hit by a pitch, and that drove in

J.B. Goff. A fielder’s choice brought Armando Ortiz in. David Akiva then

hit an RBI single and a sacrifice fly by C.K. Green scored Estancia’s

sixth run.

Estancia scrapped for all of its runs with the benefit of timely bunts

and eight singles.

From the mound, Estancia’s starting pitcher Green made sure Uni did not

repeat Monday’s 11-0 mercy-rule win against the Eagles. He pitched a

complete game and struck out seven Trojans (21-4, 12-0).

In the fifth, Uni scored two to tie the game and it threatened to take

the lead with the heart of its order coming up. With one out and runners

on second and third, Green struck out Uni slugger Kevin Conlin for the

second time in the game. After the Eagles intentionally walked Jay

Nichols, Orange County’s leading hitter, Green whiffed Zach Sherwood to

get out of the inning with a 6-6 tie.

But the Trojans won the game in the seventh when Kyle Clifford singled

home the game-winning run, ending Estancia’s upset bid.

“This was a good game to end on, but it would have been nice to come out

on top,” Estancia Coach Doug Deats said. “We played hard, we executed, we

made the sacrifice bunts, and we moved the runners. We just didn’t score

enough runs.”

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

University 7, Estancia 6

Estancia 101 400 0 - 6 8 4 University 012 120 1 - 7 13 3

Green and Davis; Konishi, Foxman (4), Ochoa (7) and Wood. W - Ochoa. L -

Green, 4-8. 2B - Wood (U), Ledesma (U). HR - Sherwood (U).