Firefighters enjoy a three-game ride

After getting off to a slow start to the 2005 Little League season,

which had been delayed further by heavy rains, the Laguna Beach

Firefighters have been rolling as of late.

The Senior League team has won three straight games to improve its

record to 4-2.

In addition to Laguna, teams from San Juan Capistrano, San

Clemente, Rancho Niguel and Ladera Ranch compete in the Senior

League.

A look at their four victories:

Firefighters 6

Rancho Niguel 4

Raphael Vickers pitched shutout ball for five innings and recorded

six strikeouts in the process to lead the Firefighters past the

visiting Cubs at Alta Laguna Park.

Solid catching by Casey Miller and defensive plays by Kyle Snyder,

Logan Schoembs, Sean Pigden, Paul Salomon, Gabe Stansbury, Wyatt

Ininns, Jackson Christy and Brenden Fergusion backed up Vickers.

Stansbury made his season’s pitching debut and threw the final two

innings, striking out four batters.

Christy, Miller, Schoembs, Stansbury, Salomon and Pigden all had

hits for the Firefighters, who led 6-0 before giving up four runs in

the seventh inning.

Firefighters 11

Rancho Niguel 9

Casey Miller went four for four and closed on the mound as Laguna

held on at Alta Laguna Park.

Gabe Stansbury hit two singles and Sean Pigden, Brenden Ferguson,

Jackson Christy and Jase Swinden each had a hit.

Starter Raphael Vickers had five strikeouts in five innings of

work.

Laguna held on despite giving up four runs and five errors in the

final inning.

Firefighters, 12

Ladera Ranch 10

Under the lights at Hausdorfer Field at the Capistrano Sports

Park, Flip Shusko had his best outing of the season by recording five

strikeouts in three innings as the Firefighters held off the Dodgers.

Raphael Vickers relieved Shusko and pitched the last four innings,

getting six strikeouts.

Gabe Stansbury had a single, double and triple in going three for

three to lead the Firefighters’ attack.

Vickers, Jackson Christy, Casey Miller, Kyle Snyder and Logan

Schoembs each had a hit.

Shusko, Snyder, Sean Pigden, Ryan Capretz and Blake Hofmeister

made key defensive stops for the Firefighters.

Firefighters 8

San Juan Capistrano 6

At Hausdorfer Field in the Capistrano Sports Park, Kyle Snyder and

Alex Shusko both had doubles, and Raphael Vickers singled twice to

lead the Firefighters on offense.

Logan Schoembs and Ryan Raffo each singled.

Shusko started on the mound and struck out two in three innings.

Vickers threw four innings of relief and struck out nine, and Raffo

closed the seventh inning and sent the Marlins down in order.

Jackson Christy, Casey Miller, Sean Pigden, Wyatt Ininns and Paul

Salomon led the Firefighters on defense.