Loss snuffs watered-down Firefighters team

A depleted Laguna Beach Little League Firefighters squad came up with a valiant effort in the District 55 Tournament of Champions Junior Division playoffs Tuesday, but fell short of keeping their postseason dream alive.

The Firefighters wiped out a 5-0 deficit against the South Irvine Bruins, forced extra innings, but lost an 8-6 contest that took eight innings to decide at Windrow Park in Irvine.

The Firefighters’ 12-player roster had been reduced to 10 prior to the game, then to nine, after starting shortstop Jake Glazer took sick before the start of the game.

They fell behind, 5-0, heading into the bottom of the fifth after giving up four unearned runs on fielding errors.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Firefighters offense caught life. A single by Travis Sampson and double by Raphael Vickers keyed a three-run rally that narrowed the score to 5-3.

After holding the Bruins scoreless in the top-half of the sixth, the Firefighters posted two runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the score at 5-5. Sampson reached first base on a dropped third strike, stole two bases and was driven in on a single by Vickers, who clubbed his third hit of the game.

Vickers stole second and scored the tying run when he scored on a single by Ben Hanson.

Neither team scored in the seventh inning and the game headed into extra innings. In the top of the eighth, the Bruins posted three runs behind two hits, a walk and two errors. The Firefighters came back with a single run in the bottom of the eighth, but could get no closer.

Casey Miller pitched 3 1/3 innings for the Firefighters and allowed only one run through three innings before yielding three in the fourth. Reliever Ryan Raffo also allowed four runs.

The Firefighters’ defense committed eight errors. It was error-less in their first-round, 11-0 shutout of Saddleback on June 3.

Offensively, Vickers doubled and singled twice, Hanson singled twice and Miller and Sampson both singled. Bruins pitching, however, struck out 14 Firefighters.