Prep baseball: Eagles fall to Artists

LAGUNA BEACH - The Estancia High baseball team came into this week

still pumped up by its pair of victories over crosstown rival Costa Mesa,

a rejuvenated starting pitching rotation and hopes of getting back into

the hunt for one of the Pacific Coast League’s three guaranteed berths in

the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

But, after a disheartening 2-1 loss to Laguna Beach Tuesday, the

Eagles postseason chances were further dampened by a 5-2 setback Friday

against the host Artists.

“I thought we needed a split,” Estancia Coach Doug Deats said. “But

you never know.”

The loss drops the Eagles to 5-10, 2-7 in league, two games behind

Laguna Beach and 2 1/2 behind third-place Costa Mesa, with six league

games remaining.

Brent Davis yielded just six hits in six innings, but half of those

were for extra bases, including a pair of RBI doubles and an Alex

Dy-Buncio home run. Davis fanned three and walked five, but two of those

were intentional passes. One of Laguna Beach’s runs was unearned.

Estancia tied the game, 1-1, in the third, when senior Andy Romo

singled, advanced to third on a pair of groundouts and scored on a Laguna

Beach error.

Laguna forged a 3-1 lead, before an Armando Ortiz squeeze bunt plated

Estancia teammate J.B. Goff in the fifth to cut the lead to 3-2.

But the hosts scored two more in their next at-bat to move to within a

half-game of Costa Mesa in the standings.

Romo went 2 for 3 to pace Estancia’s six-hit attack.

The Eagles return to action Monday in the Templeton Tournament at

Templeton High, north of San Luis Obispo. They meet L.A. Baptist, ranked

No. 2 in CIF Division V, in the first round Monday at 1 p.m.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Laguna Beach 5, Estancia 2

Estancia 001 010 0 - 2 6 1

Laguna Beach 101 120 x - 5 6 2

Davis and Lund; Verdugo, Baumer (7) and Baumer, Smith (7). W -

Verdugo. L - Davis, 3-3. 2B - Baumer (LB), Merz (LB). 3B - Goff (E). HR -

Dy-Buncio (LB).