Laguna wins big over Estancia, 12-1

Barry Faulkner

The gloom settled over the Laguna Beach High baseball diamond not

long after in enveloped the Estancia dugout Thursday afternoon.

Coastal fog overcame what had been sunshine in the fifth inning of

the Newport Elks tournament consolation game, though things dimmed

for the Eagles the inning before in the 12-1 Laguna Beach win.

The Breakers (2-2) broke open a 2-1 game by scoring 10 runs on six

hits, including two doubles and two home runs, in the fourth.

Five Laguna Beach players had at least two hits, and four drove in

at least two runs. Jeff Bolar was one of the former, but did his best

work on the mound, tossing a complete-game five-hitter in which he

faced just four over the minimum. He threw an economical 80 pitches,

walking none and striking out three.

“[Bolar] threw a great game,” Estancia Coach Jon Green said. “He

did his job. He worked in, out, up and down.”

Green lamented the inability of the first two Eagle hurlers to

match Bolar’s precision.

“I expect more out of our pitching staff,” Green said. “When you

make mistakes and miss spots and don’t execute things we practice,

you’re not going to have success.”

Still, Green was encouraged by two scoreless relief innings turned

in by freshman right-hander Taylor McClanahan, which was foremost

among the positives for the Eagles.

“He came into his first varsity game and threw strikes and

basically gave our guys a lesson on pitching,” Green said of

McClanahan, who struck out four and walked one.

Green also praised the offensive performance of senior second

baseman Eric Schaefer, who had a role in the Eagles’ only two scoring

threats.

Schaefer grounded a hit-and-run single into the spot vacated by

the Laguna Beach second baseman to put runners on the corners with

one out in the second. The lead runner was thrown out at the plate on

a subsequent grounder to third baseman Conley Sampson, however, and

an attempt to bunt for a hit with two outs was negated when Sampson

charged, fielded cleanly and threw to first in time to end the

threat.

Estancia senior Jeremy Hauser ripped a single to right field to

open the Eagles’ fourth, then stole second. He was still there after

a strikeout and a pop-up, but Schaefer lashed an RBI double down the

left-field line to give Estancia its only run.

Doubles were popular with the Breakers, who played pepper with the

short outfield fences to record five two-baggers.

Bolar and Sampson doubled twice, while shortstop Alex Wilson and

center fielder Jake Wheeler drove balls beyond the barrier in center

for legitimate homers that produced a combined five runs.

Sampson was 3 for 4 with three RBIs, while Wheeler and catcher

Kevin Kelly also drove in three runs.

Green, whose Eagles fell to 0-4, pointed out the Breakers’ 10-run

fourth began when the Breakers’ No. 9 hitter, who finished 0 for 3,

was hit by a pitch.

“If you don’t have the kind of talent of, say, Mater Dei, you have

to play baseball the correct way,” Green said. “If you’re messing

with the baseball gods, sometimes they’re going to come down and

smite you.”

Matt Ronquillo and Evan Van Geem also had singles for Estancia,

which committed four errors.

*--*

Newport Elks tournament Consolation

Laguna Beach 12, Estancia 1

Score by Innings

Estancia 000 100 0 -- 1 5 4

Laguna 002 (10)00 x -- 12 13 0

Young, Hauser (4), McClanahan (5) and

Crom; Bolar and Kelly. W -- Bolar,

1-1. L -- Young. 2B -- Bolar (LB) 2,

Sampson (LB) 2, Wilson (LB), Schaefer

(E). HR -- Wheeler (LB), Wilson (LB).

*--*