Osaki leads Barons past Marina

HUNTINGTON BEACH - Kevin Osaki had a game to remember Wednesday.

The Fountain Valley High junior proved to be a force both on the mound and at the plate, leading the Barons to an 8-2 victory over host Marina in Sunset League baseball action.

Osaki (2-0) scattered seven hits and struck out six in four innings to win his second game of the year. But it was his offensive performance that overshadowed his pitching effort: he clubbed three home runs, getting one each in the second, fourth and sixth innings as Fountain Valley led all the way.

He went three for three to lead Fountain Valley’s 10-hit attack as the Barons worked three Marina pitchers. Four of the hits were home runs.

The Barons improved to 7-5 in league and the loss dropped Marina to 2-9.

Fountain Valley tagged Marina starter Race Parmenter for a pair of two-run home runs in the first two innings to go up 4-0, chasing Parmenter (1-1).

In the first inning, John Spirk’s two-run shot made it a 2-0 game. With one out in the second, Osaki took a 2-1 pitch deep over the center-field fence for his first career homer that upped the Barons’ lead to 4-0.

Marina got a run back in the bottom of the second when J.J. Baccari hit a two-out solo home run to left field to narrow Fountain Valley’s lead to 4-1.

The Vikings had chances in the third and fourth innings to cut further into the three-run deficit, but couldn’t convert.

First, sophomore Robert Chavarria hit a one-out double to right field and advanced to third on Slater Davies’ sacrifice bunt. Sophomore Vinny Ponce came to the plate and worked Osaki to a 3-2 count before driving a hard liner to right that was caught by Zach Cardenalli for the final out of the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, Robby Herron delivered a two-out single when the ball bounced hard off the pitcher’s mound into centerfield. He went on to steal second base but was stranded there when Baccari struck out to end the inning.

Osaki sent his second homer of the game to right field with one out in the fourth to make it a 5-1 game. He capped his big day with a two-run homer in the sixth that increased the lead to 7-2.

Junior Brenton McCarthy doubled for Fountain Valley.

The teams play for the third and final time in league play this year Friday at 3:15 p.m. at Fountain Valley.

The Barons hold a 2-0 record on the Vikings in the season’s three-game series. They won the first meeting, 2-1, on April 2.

In other prep baseball games involving local teams Wednesday, Ocean View moved a step closer to another Golden West League title and improved to 11-1 in league following a 9-4 victory at Westminster.

In Sea View League action, Huntington Beach was blanked 3-0 at El Toro.

In league games Friday, Ocean View will host Westminster and Huntington is home to El Toro. First pitch for both games is 3:15 p.m.