Lightning move forward

NEWPORT COAST — For the last couple of days, Sage Hill School pitcher Jack Heffron has been sleep deprived.

Homework has kept Heffron up late. To make matters worse, he felt uneasy starting in his biggest game.

Typical Heffron, it takes him some time to settle down. Already used to it, he began to hustle in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division VI playoffs.

In tough spots against Burbank Bellarmine-Jefferson, the left-hander punched out batters and picked off runners.

Then in the fourth inning the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder crashed into the opposing pitcher at home plate, making him the first player to finally tag the pitcher.

All of this hard work by a freshman paid off. Sage Hill followed.

Sage Hill came back from three runs down to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in the varsity baseball program’s seven-year history, beating Bellarmine-Jefferson, 10-3, at home.

After battling for six innings, striking out six, picking off three runners, walking five, and allowing three runs and five hits, Heffron (4-3) anxiously waited for the end.

Once Alex Jimenez, in relief, recorded the last out by striking out a batter looking, Sage Hill Coach Andy Berglund knew what Heffron longed to do next. Hop on a golf cart and start raking the infield dirt.

“For some reason he likes doing it,” the first-year coach said. “He’s all out there by himself.”

That sure wasn’t the case in the first three innings.

Sage Hill (15-6), making its first postseason appearance since 2004, flirted with disaster before moving on to play Apple Valley Christian (18-2) in the second round Tuesday.

Bellarmine-Jefferson (9-12) jumped to a comfortable 3-0 lead on Daniel Diaz’s one-run double. But it was too comfy for Coach Hector Perez’s liking. Perez said he’s experienced it before with a young squad.

The big letdown soon followed. Bellarmine-Jefferson, the third-place team out of the Santa Fe League, committed four errors and pitchers balked five times, three runs came across on balks.

Heffron performed at his best, in trouble, by coming up with crucial strikeouts. Nick Ongaro figured it was his time to step up offensively.

The junior delivered the biggest hit of the game during a five-run fourth inning. Ongaro, facing a full count, gave Sage Hill its first lead at 5-3, going the other way to right field with a two-run triple.

“It was great, because I haven’t had one of those [in] a while,” said Ongaro, who went two for two, walked twice and scored three runs. “This is just an offensive team. We truly believe that we can bounce back pretty much from anything.”

Sage Hill has proved it all year long en route to claiming its first Academy League title.

Heffron clamped down.

With the Guards up, 1-0, after the first inning, Heffron found himself in precarious situations in the next two innings. He came away unscathed in the second, his wild pitch with a runner trying to steal second costing him no more than falling behind in the count.

The wild pitch ricocheted off the backstop right to catcher Dusty Orrantia. All of a sudden, Orrantia had a chance to gun down Jonathan Montaban. He fired a one-hopper to shortstop Sean Vogel, who tagged out Montaban for the second out.

One pitch later, Heffron struck out Tory Tunzi to end the inning, showing the kind of tenacity Berglund expected.

“He just had some jitters,” said Berglund of Heffron, who threw 100 pitches. “He was able to dig deep and find his strike zone. What helped him was his pick-off move. That helped him calm his nerves.”

CIF Southern Section Division VI First round Sage Hill 10, Bellarmine-Jefferson 3

SCORE BY INNINGS

Haney, Trujillo (4) and Cepero; Heffron, Jimenez (7) and Orrantia. W – Haney, 2-7. L – Heffron, 4-3. 2B – Diaz (BJ), Wolfson (SH), Griffin (SH). 3B – Ongaro (SH).

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.