Big finish lifts Seahawks

Mike Sciacca

Leadoff hitter James Kang teed off at just the right time, and it was

enough to keep the Ocean View High baseball team moving forward.

Kang’s RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh

inning delivered a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over visiting Colony

of Ontario in the quarterfinal round of the CIF-Southern Section

Division III playoffs.

The victory put Ocean View into Tuesday’s semifinal round, where

the Seahawks traveled to play Southwestern League runner-up Murrieta

Valley. The score was not available at press time.

However, a victory Tuesday by the Seahawks would move them into

Saturday’s championship game at 1 p.m. at Angel Stadium. They’d get

the winner of Tuesday’s other semifinal matchup between top-seeded

Westminster La Quinta and Southwestern League champ Temecula Valley.

The last time Ocean View advanced to the semifinal round was in

1998, the year it won the Southern Section title by defeating favored

Westminster La Quinta at Dodger Stadium.

Kang’s hit scored Marc Fernandez, who had reached base on an error

in the seventh. Fernandez advanced to second base on a throwing error

and was awarded third on a balk.

A pop out and strikeout later, Kang delivered.

“We had blown some really good scoring opportunities earlier in

the game, and we almost let a big one get away,” said Ocean View

coach Aaron Kavanagh, whose squad improved to 23-5. “I felt confident

with James at the plate, because he’s come through with big hits all

year for us.”

Ocean View trailed, 1-0, before tying the score at 1-1 in the

fourth by stringing together singles by Jason Walker, Jeff Roth and

Alex Burnett, and scoring the tying run with two outs.

Colony went ahead again, 2-1, in the fifth. That lead held until

the bottom of the sixth, when Walker ignited an Ocean View rally by

getting his second hit of the game with a leadoff single.

Roth reached base on an error and Burnett followed with a

two-strike double off the fence in left field to bring home Walker.

Burnett picked up the pitching win. His complete game effort,

giving up four hits, allowed the senior right-hander to improve his

record to 10-3.

Prior to playing Colony, Ocean View needed extra innings to defeat

Warren.