Breakers big on effort, not results

A depleted Laguna Beach High softball team played with plenty of

heart at the Costa Mesa Tournament, but the Breakers came up short in

their first two tournament games Saturday.

The Breakers dropped their season and tournament opener to La

Quinta, 8-3, then fell to Pacific Coast League rival University,

25-2, in a second round game.

Laguna played both games with just eight players, as their lineup

was depleted by injuries and players having prior commitments

Saturday.

The Breakers had just two outfielders.

Junior Lauren Delgado, who pitched both ends of the doubleheader,

came up with four hits and scored three runs for Laguna.

“A damp field kept the ball down in the morning game dampening

some of the effect of having only two outfielders,” Laguna coach Skip

Andrews aid. “But when the sun came out for the afternoon game, the

ball was popping off the bats and it was too much for the

short-handed Breakers.”

On Tuesday, Laguna took a break from tournament play to host Santa

Ana Valley, and the visiting Falcons came away with a 14-0 nonleague

win.

Laguna mustered just one hit and Delgado struck out nine in the

five inning game.

Santa Ana Valley broke open the game by scoring seven runs in the

fourth inning.

In boys’ volleyball, Laguna Beach played Edison and Huntington

Beach, both of the Sunset League, tough, but dropped both road

matches.

The Breakers fell to Edison, 21-15, 23-25, 25-23, 15-25.

Three nights later, they dropped a 19-25, 19-25, 21-25 match to

Huntington.

Against Edison, Luke Morris had a team-high 25 kills and seven

digs, with seven of his kills coming in game No. 3, Laguna’s only

win.

Chris Hoffman had 10 kills and five digs and Clark Olson finished

with 33 assists.

In the Huntington match, Morris had 12 kills and six digs, Hoffman

had nine kills and 10 digs and Olson had 30 set assists.

Laguna opens play Saturday at the Foothill Tournament at the

Saddleback Valley Volleyball Club, then returns home Tuesday to host

Newport Harbor in a 5:30 p.m. nonleague match.

In boys’ golf, Laguna fell to Aliso Niguel, 184-239, Monday at

Aliso Viejo Golf Course.