Pacific Coast League Baseball : Smedes Has Shutout for Laguna Hills

Mike Smedes threw a three-hitter and Jun Honda drove in three runs Tuesday to lead Laguna Hills High School to a 5-0 Pacific Coast League victory at Orange.

The victory extended the Hawks’ winning streak to 10 and gave them a one-game lead over Orange (13-9, 9-3) with three games to play. Orange, whose seven-game winning streak ended with the loss, will travel to Laguna Hills (13-8, 10-2) Friday.

It also was Orange’s first loss in six home games this season.

Should Orange finish the season tied for first with Laguna Hills, the Hawks would go to the playoffs as the league’s No. 1 team because they already have defeated Orange twice.

Smedes (6-2), who struck out eight and drove home one of Laguna Hills’ runs with a fifth-inning single, didn’t allow a hit until Paul Maund grounded a single to left in the fifth. The other two Orange hits were Rich Prater’s double, also in the fifth, and Tony Yandura’s pinch single in the seventh.

“He’s a notch above what you normally see in high school pitchers,” Mel Baty, Orange coach, said. “We gave them a good battle and we didn’t beat ourselves, but he pitched a hell of a game, and they earned everything they got.”

Said Jack Hodges, Laguna Hills coach: “Mike throws the ball in the mid-80s (m.p.h.), and his pitches can be very tough for an opposing hitter to lay off of. He’s pitched well for us all season, and he’s strong enough that we can come right back with him for an inning or two of relief in the next game.”

The Hawks scored their first two runs in the second inning. After Smedes flied to left, Mike Helm singled and Rob Milo was hit by a pitch from losing pitcher Aaron VanDerAa (4-2). Helm and Milo, who advanced to second and third on a passed ball by Skip Tanner, came home on Honda’s ground-ball double past third baseman Mel Lundquist.

Laguna Hills extended its lead to 3-0 in the fourth when Milo doubled with one out and Honda followed Milo with a run-scoring single.

The final two Hawk runs were scored in the fifth inning. Chris Sheff, who led off the inning with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on Jason Thompson’s single to left field. Sheff came home on Smedes’ single, and Thompson scored on Helm’s single.

“We’re a young team and we struggled early in the season,” Hodges said. “But since then, our hitters have worked to become better hitters and the kids have really come around for us in all aspects of the game.”

Woodbridge 7, Laguna Beach 5--Woodbridge scored two runs in the top of the seventh to break a 5-5 tie, then hung on, thanks to a great catch in the bottom of the seventh by left fielder Rob Lee. Ted Savage singled to start the seventh for host Laguna Beach (4-15, 3-9), and David Crain drove the ball deep to left field, where there is no fence. Lee turned and ran across the track onto the football field to make the catch. He threw back to the infield, and Savage, who was rounding third base when the ball was caught, was doubled off first base.

Crain, Pete Schmitt and Danny Lane had home runs for Laguna Beach. It was Lane’s eighth, setting a Laguna Beach single-season record.

Trabuco Hills 4, Costa Mesa 3--Troy Bland had a sacrifice fly to drive in the winning run for host Trabuco Hills (10-8, 7-5). Costa Mesa led, 3-1, going into the sixth, but Larry Holeman and Chad Poulos had an RBI single before Bland’s game-winning hit. Ryan Meridith (6-4) pitched a complete game for the victory.