VFW ties Fantasy Designs

Laguna Beach Little League Majors Division teams VFW and Fantasy Designs kept the battle for first place alive Wednesday night at Riddle Field, playing to a 5-5 tie.

The game started off with Conor Hauer pitching for VFW and giving up three runs. The first was a single by Ashton Goddard, bringing in Carter Monacell.

Will McInerny hit a hard double, putting Goddard on third. Both Goddard and McInerny stole home. But Hauer bounced back with two strikeouts.

Goddard took the mound for Fantasy Designs. He had one strikeout and was helped by a caught pop fly by Johnny Ogden at first and a pickle between third and short, which resulted in a tag out by shortstop Cole Paxson.

Hauer had one strike out in the second and was then relieved by pitcher Dane Olsen, who pitched the remainder of the game.

Olsen kept Fantasy Designs from scoring with a strikeout and a play by second baseman Nolan Del Toro, who stopped a line drive hit by Paxson and threw to Ressler for the third out.

After Duke Holt stole home in the bottom of the second inning, Olsen struck out the side in the third, which was followed by four VFW runs in the bottom half of the frame. Jack Dickenson started things off by walking. He came home on a double hit by Ressler, who scored on a triple hit by Hauer. Olsen walked and both Hauer and Olsen stole home to make the score, 5-3. Fantasy Designs brought in pitcher Will McInerny to close out the third. He prevented any more runs for VFW with nine strikeouts.

In the top of the fourth, Carter Monacell brought Jordan Leppo and Nathan Hunt home for Fantasy Designs with a nice hit past second, tying the score at 5. Olsen had two strikeouts in the inning and nine for the game.

Both VFW and Fantasy Designs went scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings for the 5-5 tie.

These teams play each other for the last time in the regular season at 6:45 p.m. May 4.

?

Breakers play long ball to top Calvary: In a game at Alta Laguna on Tuesday, the Laguna Beach High junior varsity baseball team rolled to another victory to bring its record to 12-0 overall and 5-0 in league play.

The Breakers overcame some shaky fielding and an early three-run deficit to power past the Calvary Eagles with 11 unanswered runs.

It was a very good day for the Breakers’ long ball game, as sophomores Travis Clawson and Santi Pierini both hit crushing home runs “” Clawson to dead center and Pierini to left field.

For the day, Clawson had two hits and 5 runs batted in, and the team’s top slugger Pierini had two RBIs.

Left-handed pitcher Alex LeBon turned in another strong performance, giving up just one earned run in four innings.

He struck out five and improved his record to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in league play. He also has a save. Left-handed freshman Larry Stewart came in to relieve LeBon in the fifth inning and held the Eagles in check.

Other highlights of the day included a timely pickoff at first base by catcher Harrison Williams, another stolen base for the speedster C.J. Rodriques and a shoestring catch by Pierini.

The Breakers have a rematch today with the Eagles in an away game, where freshman Jackson Reese will get the start on the mound.