Down 9-0, Lightning strikes with comeback

* Sage Hill School shrugged off a 9-0 deficit to force extra innings,

then win, 12-9, in the eighth over Academy League host St. Margaret’s

Tuesday.

Down by nine heading into the fifth, the Lightning scored four,

then cashed in three errors and four walks for five more in the sixth

to pull even.

After a scoreless seventh, Matt Kornsweit lef off the eighth with

a double. Tim Wilkins singled to put runners at the corners then,

running on the pitch, scored on Zach Friedrichs’ two-run double to

put the visitors over the top. Friedrichs, who went 3 for 5 with two

doubles, two stolen bases and three RBIs, scored on two wild pitches

to help Sage improve to 11-5, 7-3 in league.

Wilkins, who earned the win with 1 2/3 innings of shutout relief,

went 1 for 3 with two steals and one RBI.

Freshman Zack Shockley and sophomore David Packard also had solid

relief outings to set up the comeback.

St. Margaret’s fell to 3-6 in league.

*--*

Academy League

Sage Hill 12, St. Margaret’s 9

Score by Innings

Sage Hill 000 045 03 -- 12 10 3

St. Marg 240 300 00 -- 9 8 6

Friedrichs, Shockley (4), Packard (5),

Wilkins (7) and Kornsweit; Salsbury,

Seabass (5), Prozzo (6) and Goldstein. W

-- Wilkins, 5-1. L -- Prozzo. 2B --

Friedrichs (SH) 2, Shockley (SH),

Kornsweit (SH)

*--*

Pirates upset Gauchos

* The Orange Coast College Pirates played spoilers with a

come-from-behind 6-5 baseball victory over host Saddleback Tuesday in

the Orange Empire Conference Tournament.

The Gauchos entered one game behind first-place Riverside, but

sixth-place OCC (18-18, 8-14 in conference) rallied with two runs in

the eighth to win. Dustin Hicks came up with what proved to be the

game-winning RBI single, with two out. It scored Ryan Mathes, who had

singled to drive in Kyle Stanley.

Stanley went 3 for 4, including a two-run home run in the fitth,

to lead the Pirates. OCC returns to action Thursday, hosting Cypress

at 2:30 p.m.

*--*

Orange Empire Conference Tournament

OCC 6, Saddleback 5

Score by Innings

OCC 010 030 020 -- 6 9 2

S’back 002 003 000 -- 5 6 2

Murdy, Allen (8) and Hicks; Pherrin,

Sandoval (8) and Johnson. W -- Murdy,

3-6. L -- Sandoval, 2-2. Sv -- Allen (2).

2B -- Stanley (OCC) 2, Benoit (OCC),

Kapana (S), Ariza (S). HR -- Stanley

(OCC), Mathes (OCC), Johnson (S)

*--*

Mesa barely holds on

* Costa Mesa High built a 10-4 lead, then held on for a 10-9

Golden West League baseball victory at Saddleback Tuesday.

Senior first baseman Dan Bitler went 4 for 4 with one RBI and two

runs, while Adam Beltran and Gary Gonzalez each had two hits and two

RBIs for the winners, who improved to 8-11, 2-5 in league.

Alex Pisarski and Jeff Waldron also had two hits apiece for the

Mustangs, for whom junior ace Justin Peterson left the tying run at

third in the seventh to post his second save.

Saddleback fell to 8-8, 4-4.

*--*

Golden West League

Costa Mesa 10, Saddleback 9 Score by Innings

C. Mesa 412 300 0 -- 10 14 1

S’back 031 302 0 -- 9 8 2

Cooper, Vargas (4), Peterson (7) and N.

Hunter; Valenzuela, Godoy (3) and DeLeon.

W -- Vargas, 4-3. L - Valenzuela, 3-5. Sv

-- Peterson (2). 2B -- Gonzalez (CM). 3B

-- Morales (S)

*--*

Lions fall run short

* The Vanguard University baseball team gave up one unearned run

in the top of the ninth and lost, 3-2, to Golden State Athletic

Conference visitor Cal Baptist Tuesday.

Scott Zine and Robert Cruz collected two hits each to lead the

Lions (24-25, 13-14 in conference). Cal Baptist improved to 25-24,

15-13. Four errrs also hurt Vanguard, including one in the ninth.

Jason Searle went 8 1/3 on the mound, scattering seven hits, striking

out five and allowing two earned runs.

*--*

Golden State Athletic Conference

Cal Baptist 3, Vanguard 2

Score by Innings

C. Baptist 100 100 001 -- 3 8 0

Vanguard 000 200 000 -- 2 6 4

Owens and Van Oosting; Searle, Harris (9)

and Bower. W -- Owens, 5-1. L -- Harris,

5-7. 2B -- Cruz (VU)

*--*