SUNSET LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Ocean View Capitalizes on Sluggish Display by Westminster

After Ocean View’s Seth Bartels and Randy Karliner combined to five-hit Westminster in a 4-1 Sunset League victory Friday in Huntington Beach, Westminster Coach Chris Sorce joked about his team’s lack of offense.

“We have a lineup of eight outs and (Kirk) Pierce,” Sorce said.

But even Pierce, who started the week hitting .500 with a team-high three home runs and county-leading 30 runs batted in, went 0 for three with a walk. Pierce’s performance typified a Westminster offense that stranded eight runners and managed one hit after the third inning.

“That’s the fourth straight league win for us with Bartels starting, and Karliner finishing,” Ocean View Coach Steve Barrett said. The victory gave Ocean View its 10th in a row.

“It works well because we start Bartels, who’s a thumber (breaking-ball pitcher), and then bring (Karliner) in with the heat,” Barrett said.

Bartels, who has allowed four earned runs in his past 26 1/3 innings pitched, struggled for 3 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and four walks.

However, Bartels left the game with Ocean View (13-7, 7-2 in league) leading, 3-0, in the top of the fourth, with runners on first and third and one out.

Karliner relieved Bartels and allowed an RBI single to the first batter he faced, Westminster’s Jason Wells.

But Karliner did not allow another hit or walk, retiring 11 of the 13 batters he faced and allowing only two baserunners on Ocean View fielding errors.

Ocean View scored two runs off Westminster (10-10, 4-4) starter David Vergara in the first inning, including one on an RBI triple by shortstop Curtis Bruce.

Bruce also drove in Ocean View’s Matt Musselmann with the third run of the game after grounding into a fielder’s choice in the third inning. Kevin Bill’s fifth-inning home run, his fifth, gave Ocean View its final run of the game.

“Give them credit. They clutched up when they had to and came up with the big hits. We didn’t,” Sorce said. “But whether we won or lost today, we’re still in third place.”

Ocean View has its sights set on first place, but the Seahawks trail Fountain Valley (19-4, 7-1) by a half-game, and will not face the Barons again this year.

“It would have been real easy for this team to go in the tank after starting out 3-7,” Barrett said. “Now to win the league title, we just have to win our three remaining games and get a little help.”