Orange Lutheran players (from left) Sam Principe, Anthony Tomminelli, Ethan Torres and Cooper Sides after Thursday’s game. (PHOTOS: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).
After dropping the first two games of a Trinity League series this week, Orange Lutheran’s baseball team rallied to defeat St. John Bosco 5-4 Thursday afternoon at St. John Bosco.
Orange Lutheran catcher Brady Murrietta launched a towering two-run, two-out sixth inning homer over the left field fence to break a 3-3 tie and lift the Lancers into the lead.
“I knew I hit it well and I thought it had a chance to clear the fence when I hit it,” said Murrietta commenting on his first round-tripper of the season. “When I came to bat, I had a clear mind and I didn’t try to do too much. We did not want to get swept and we were ‘all in’ and stepped it up today.”
Murrieta had a huge game. The senior catcher had a double, a homer, three RBI scored two runs and threw out a runner stealing.
Orange Lutheran (8-3, 1-2) notched its first league win and dealt St. John Bosco (11-3, 5-1) its first league loss.
“It’s so difficult to sweep any team in this league,” said Bosco Coach Andy Rojo. “We’re glad to win two of three games but we had an opportunity to win this one. I think we hit a lull in the middle of the game. We had a 3-1 lead but the bats went cold, especially the bottom of the order. Give them credit, they kept fighting.“
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Lancers right fielder Eric Zdunek doubled to left to lead off the fifth inning and scored on Jordan Kurz’s RBI sacrifice fly to tie the score at 3-3. After Orange Lutheran starter Cooper Sides retired Bosco in order in the bottom of the fifth, the Lancers surged ahead.
With one out in the sixth, Lancers shortstop Zion Avina reached first base on an infield error. One out later, Murrieta clouted a two-run homer off Braves reliever Jack Champlin to give Orange Lutheran a 5-3 lead.
Bosco threatened in the bottom of the sixth but came up a little short. Moises Razo walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning off Lancers reliever Blake Killinger. He advanced to second on a wild pitch.
One out later, Jhett Ohira reached base on an infield single. Pinch hitter Richie Avina then blasted a ball off the left field fence, scoring Razo.
However, on the play, Ohira was tagged out at home plate on a close play, following a perfect relay throw from left fielder Ricardo Hurtado to second baseman CJ Weinstein to Murrietta who made a sweeping tag on Ohira for the second out of the inning and preventing the Braves from tying the score. Killinger then retired Zach Estrada on an a grounder to shortstop to end the inning.
Anthony Tomminelli came on in relief in the seventh inning and retired Bosco in order to preserve the win and earn the save.
“We got knocked down in the first two games of the series and we wanted to show what we’re capable of, so we were happy to bounce back and win,” said Tomminelli. “Wednesday’s game with these guys got a little testy and it was nerve racking out there today because our league is so competitive and nobody wants to get swept. We’re fired up.”
Orange Lutheran’s starter Cooper Sides gave up two runs in the first inning but settled down and went five innings and struck out eight batters, including striking out the side in the second inning.
“We were all business coming into this game,” said Sides, a LSU-commit. “I felt good and I was throwing my curveball and fastball for strikes. This win means more than you can believe. We didn’t want to get swept and this win helps our confidence.”
The 6-6 right hander kept the Lancers in the ball game, a point his coach RJ Farrell said was critical.
“Cooper gave up two runs in the first inning but after that he settled down and gave us a chance to comeback and win,” said Farrell. “He was locked in and his fastball and curveball was effective. It’s awesome to win but we know it’s only one game but it gives us confidence going forward, especially after losing the first two games of the series.”
Sides was clocked at throwing in the low to mid 90s.
Orange Lutheran cut the lead to 2-1 when Hamilton Friedberg drew a bases loaded walk, scoring Murrietta, in the third inning. The Braves also added a run in the third. James Clark reached first on an infield single and went to second on a wild pitch. He scored on Jaden Jackson’s infield single, increasing Bosco’s lead to 3-1.
Clark had two hits in the game and scored a run for the Braves. His teammate, Champlin, who came into the game hitting.514, drilled a two-run triple to right center in the first inning, giving Bosco an early 2-0 lead. Eric Zdunek had two hits and scored a run for the Lancers.
Notes:
—-St. John Bosco alum and baseball player and current Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster, Nomar Garciaparra, attended the game.
—Eleven Orange Lutheran players have committed to play in college next year (Marcus Greis/TCU, Gavin Hottle USC, Hamilton Friedberg/UCLA, Trevor Deack/Utah Tech, Jordan Kurz/South Carolina, Gary Morse/Tennessee, Brady Murrietta/Texas, Eric Zdunek/Notre Dame, CJ Weinstein/LSU, Cooper Sides/LSU, and Blake Killinger/LMU.
—According to Braves coach Andy Rojo, 10 of his players are committed to play college baseball next season: Jack Champlin/UC Irvine, Jaden Jackson/UCLA, James Clark and his twin brother Miles/Duke, Noach Everly/Seattle University; Moises Razo, Griffin Tagiliaferri, and Julian Garcia/Long Beach State, Jhett Ohira/USC and Cole Knupfer/St. Mary’s.
—-The stands were filled with at least a dozenMLB scouts who are preparing for the June MLB draft.
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