Late rally stops Laguna

Locked in a tense Pacific Coast League baseball battle with Laguna

Beach High, the University Trojans scored four runs in the top-half

of the eighth and went on to record a 9-5 extra-innings victory at

Laguna.

University then held Laguna scoreless in the bottom of the eighth

to improve to 5-2 in league.

Laguna jumped on the Trojans for a 2-0 lead after one inning.

In his first at-bat, junior Conley Sampson delivered a two-run

home run to account for the Breakers’ first two runs.

After University stung Laguna for five runs in the top of the

third to forge a 5-2 lead, Laguna battled back in the bottom of the

frame to score two more runs.

Solo home runs by junior Alex Wilson and junior Grant Harrell

narrowed Laguna’s deficit to 5-4.

Harrell then evened the score in the bottom of the sixth when he

belted his second and the Breakers’ fourth home run of the game.

Laguna had seven hits, overall.

The score stood deadlocked at 5-5 through regulation play, before

University struck for four runs in the decisive eighth inning.

In the opening round of the Wienerschnitzel Big West Invitational,

Laguna was edged by Irvine, 4-3.

Alex Wilson tripled and Garrett Rauch and Jake Wheeler doubled for

the Breakers.

Rauch, Calvin Mead and Kevin Kelly each had an RBI.

Laguna started strong by scoring single runs in the second, third

and forth innings and Grant Harrell pitched a strong game in taking a

3-0 lead.

Irvine, outplayed for much of the game, scored two runs in the

fifth inning and added two unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh

to steal the win.

In their second tournament game, the Breakers fell to El Toro,

5-3.

Grant Harrell knocked in two runs and Jeff Bolar had an RBI and

double for Laguna, which took a 2-0 lead after three innings.

After El Toro had rallied for three runs and a 3-2 lead, Bolar

doubled off the centerfield wall in the fifth to tie the score at

3-3.

El Toro scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth to win

the game.

In their final tournament showing, Laguna was blanked by

Capistrano Valley, 9-0.

Alex Wilson doubled for Laguna, which could not advance a runner

past second base.

At the conclusion of the game, Capistrano Valley players

surrounded Laguna Coach Tom Faris, and paid their respects to their

former assistant coach.

Faris served on Bob Zamora’s coaching staff at Capo Valley before

coming to Laguna.

Laguna returns from spring break to play at Calvary Chapel on

Tuesday.