DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA:

When the Corona del Mar High girls’ lacrosse team steps on the field today at powerhouse Poway, Coach Kathy Chaix will have plenty of new, young faces.

The junior varsity team is moving on up.

Chaix has been forced to make the move because the Sea Kings have been rocked with five injuries and three ineligible varsity players.

Two key players Chaix said are out with injuries are junior attacker Addison Hoover (sprained ankle) and sophomore defender Amy Youngman (torn anterior cruciate ligament).

Hoover’s 24 goals lead the Sea Kings (6-4, 3-2 in the North League) and Youngman played steady defense.

Chaix said junior Emmily Attyah will fill in for Hoover until she returns and junior Lisa Weglarz has taken Youngman’s spot.

With eight varsity games left, Chaix is hoping the blend of six experienced players and 14 newcomers will keep CdM competitive.

Today’s game at Poway at 5 p.m., and the one at home on April 17 against Foothill, will be huge tests.

“The JV players are inexperienced, mostly first-year lacrosse players, but they have risen to the challenge this year,” said Chaix, adding that the JV team is atop the league standings at 3-0.

Green said the Eagles passed with flying colors against the league’s top two teams, beating rival Costa Mesa, 3-2, in eight innings, and losing, 4-3, at Calvary Chapel, which had earlier no-hit the Eagles in a 16-0 win.

The league win matched last year’s total in league, but starting Saturday, the second-year coach will see if his Eagles can compete with upper-echelon programs outside of league.

Estancia (5-7) plays in the Beach Pit Classic, a four-day, 16-team tournament scheduled to end April 11.

The other local teams in the tournament are Corona del Mar (8-3), Costa Mesa (8-4) and Newport Harbor (3-8). The Sailors last year won the event, formerly known as the Pride of the Coast Tournament.

But with Newport Harbor battling to put nine players on the field, Coach Evan Chalmers will face a tough task in defending the title.

CdM is one of a handful of contenders that include South Hills (8-2) of West Covina, ranked No. 6 in CIF Southern Section Division III, Oxnard (9-2), No. 10 in Division II, Chino Hills (8-4), which plays in the fierce Sierra League, as well as Aliso Niguel (7-5) and San Clemente (5-5) from the South Coast League.

Estancia opens at home with South Hills at 11 a.m. Green said he’s approaching the game the same way he did last week.

“This will show if we’re ready for that next level,” Green said of the playoffs, which Estancia hasn’t made since 1992. “This is one tournament where you’ll have no easy games.”

Green said senior starting pitcher Taylor McClanahan will most likely miss the remainder of the Eagles’ season after taking a one-hop throw at first base in the right eye.

“We’re not only losing a starting pitcher, but our first baseman,” said Green, adding that McClanahan will have eye surgery this week or next week.

The loss comes after Green lost senior utility player Ian Abernathy during a doubleheader against Rancho Alamitos on March 17.

“He broke his ankle sliding into first base,” Green said. “I’m not sure why he slid, but we needed him. His injury, and Taylor’s takes me back to last year, when we lost our two senior starting pitchers to injuries. We started very strong at 4-1, but those injuries killed our season as we finished [7-17].”

Corona del Mar Coach John Emme said he’s not sure when senior third baseman Greg Garte will return after being diagnosed with mononucleosis.

“That obviously hurts us,” Emme said of losing his No. 5 hitter. “Gavin [Juarez] stepped in and did a really nice job at third base. To me that’s the critical part. As long as the defense doesn’t slip, then we’ll be OK until Greg comes back.

“I would imagine two to three more weeks, and however long in getting his strength back.”

The four-team baseball tournament appears it will be a difficult one to win. The schools have a combined record of 27-9.

The three others teams are Saddleback Valley Christian (9-1), ranked No. 2 in Division VII, Windward (7-2) of Los Angeles, ranked No. 7 in Division VI, and Capistrano Valley Christian (7-1)

The Lightning (4-5) open at noon with Saddleback Valley Christian, which has outscored the opposition, 130-39.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA covers high school baseball, softball and boys’ and girls’ lacrosse. He can be reached at (714) 966-4612 or via email at david.carrillo@latimes.com